Ohio prison inmates 'built computers and hid them in ceiling' (2017)

Ingenuity and Computing in Prison

• Many commenters admire the technical creativity involved in building hidden computers, seeing it as evidence of problem-solving ability misapplied under constraint.
• Boredom and long stretches of time are viewed as powerful drivers of improvisation and “hacking” with whatever materials are available.
• Anecdotes describe prisoners using limited computer access to learn programming (e.g., C# from a smuggled book) and build small tools or text-based games.
• Some argue prisons should explicitly provide computers and constructive tech education, not just punitive conditions.

Intelligence, Crime, and Environment

• Several posts argue that “smart but disadvantaged” people with trauma and adverse childhood experiences are funneled into crime, citing personal examples of high-achieving students ending up incarcerated.
• There is debate on prison IQ:
  • Some claim average prisoner IQ is below the general population (around 90–95).
  • Others describe a wider spread, with both more very low and very high IQ individuals.
  • A few challenge the overall research and point out that white-collar crime is under-prosecuted, biasing any “criminality vs IQ” conclusions.
• Discussion of violent vs non-violent crime notes links between intelligence, impulse control, lead exposure, and types of violence (reactive vs premeditated).

Law, Morality, and Systemic Injustice

• Commenters highlight the high US incarceration rate and long sentences, especially for drug and weapons offenses, arguing many imprisoned acts are not clear moral wrongs.
• There is extensive critique of:
  • The felony murder doctrine (burglary leading to a murder conviction when an accomplice is killed).
  • The gap between legal “crime” and moral wrongdoing, with comparisons to corporate pollution, war, and white-collar offenses that rarely lead to prison.
  • Interference with inmate litigation and civil rights suits, including separating prisoners who help each other legally.

Deterrence vs Rehabilitation

• One camp sees harsh sentencing and conditions as necessary deterrents, pointing to anecdotes and policy changes they say increased crime when penalties were reduced.
• The opposing camp argues deterrence mostly fails because many crimes are impulsive and rooted in poverty and lack of opportunity; they advocate using prison time for education and rehabilitation.
• Some conclude the US system is excessively punitive and functions more as social control than as a rational crime-reduction strategy.