Virtual Rehabilitation: Can VR Help Prisoners Rebuild Their Real Lives?

“Every person in life deserves a second chance. Prisoners are no exception to this rule. In fact, they are the ones that are in most dire need for help, support, and development to become improved citizens upon their release.”

So says Dr Raji Wahidy, founder and CEO of Virtual Rehab. And his vision is to use Virtual Reality technology to give prisoners that second chance they so badly need. He believes that the VR programs his company is developing will eventually help to significantly reduce the number of repeat offences and re-incarceration rates worldwide by using virtual reality to rehabilitate inmates.

“This can only be realized through correctional and rehabilitation programs that will prepare them to lead their future lives in a positive manner in order to avoid the possibility of repeated offenses.

According to the International Center for Prison Studies, the Global Prison Population is currently set at 10.5 million. A staggering 2.2 million of those are in the U.S., where the prison population surged by 700 percent since the 1970s. This cost the federal government somewhere in the region of $9 Billion in 2016…