Recently, the increasing number of vacant prisons in America has gotten a lot of press. There are a few reasons why some of these gigantic structures are empty, including but not limited to: decaying building, decline in crime over the past five years, and, like in Littlefield, Texas, inhumane conditions leading to closure. Different states do different things to try to keep the space profitable, including rent them out for film projects (like the Wapato Jail in Portland, Oregon) or, maybe, house illegal immigrants in them. And that’s all well and good, but I have the real money-maker idea: prison fantasy camp. Who would want to be incarcerated? you might ask. Answer: judging by the number of people who watch Orange is the New Black and Locked Up Abroad, pretty much everyone wants to know what it’s like. There will be special all-women’s weeks, maximum and minimum security packages, and old timey Shawshank Prison camp, hosted at the former Oneida Correctional Facility in Rome, New York (which is actually for sale.) Actors will be hired to play real prisoners, a la townspeople at Plymouth Village, and souvenir shops will sell faux mugshots and t-shirts that read, “Escaped convict!” Sign up now!
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