One of my dreams has been to create a sort of tech prison where criminals would have a computer screen and keyboard built into the wall of their cell, and from here they could access resources to teach them computer science and writing code. And these prisons would have their own version of the internet that is like a “prison wide web” that is only accessible to other prisoners, and can connect to other prisons around the country and even the world, so they can create their own websites like it’s 1999.
With time, prisoners who gain a lot of skill could contribute to open source projects or create entirely new libraries and use their contributions as a way to reduce their prison sentences.
I can imagine a custom Linux based OS designed to run on these prison computers, that could have special features that allow prisoners to see how much prison time they have remaining and run processes based on what access levels and security requirements they have attributed to them. And of course all communication on this OS would be surveilled by some centralized security system.
Slightly different example but as far as a constructive approach to incarceration goes schemes like this will always be a net positive. Far cheaper than locking people up.
With time, prisoners who gain a lot of skill could contribute to open source projects or create entirely new libraries and use their contributions as a way to reduce their prison sentences.
I can imagine a custom Linux based OS designed to run on these prison computers, that could have special features that allow prisoners to see how much prison time they have remaining and run processes based on what access levels and security requirements they have attributed to them. And of course all communication on this OS would be surveilled by some centralized security system.