In rehabilitation, prisoners get to learn about life after prison. Applications are already in use for anxiety management and relaxation.
Illustration picture. To access virtual reality, VR glasses are used and, if necessary, controllers developed for it. Zoonar GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo
Department of Criminal Sanctions says in his announcementthat prisoners will be rehabilitated using virtual reality.
In the virtual world, prisoners could practice scary situations, dealing with authorities, receiving feedback and job interview situations, among other things. This is meant to make life after prison easier.
– The project is to be carried out, among other things, in the new department for young adults and possibly as part of the rehabilitative work activities of the prison workshop, the psychologist supervising the pilot at Jyväskylä prison Laura Jernberg tells.
To access virtual reality, special VR glasses and controllers developed for them are used, which allow you to operate in the reality produced by a computer program.
The rehabilitation application has been implemented Virtual Dawn -company.
Anxiety management through the means of the virtual world
Virtual world applications are currently being used in Oulu, Jyväskylä and Hämeenlinna prisons.
The Virtual Forest created by the University of Tampere has been used under the guidance of a prison psychologist as an aid for relaxation and mood management. The application created by the Uusimaa hospital district is used for anxiety management, among other things, for prisoners with panic disorders.
– VR rehabilitation has worked well at the Criminal Sanctions Institution. I could see that such methods will increase in the future also elsewhere, special expert Pia Puolakka states.