Virtual reality brings incarcerated Pa. parents closer to their kids - ABC27

(WHTM) — The Department of Corrections is teaming up with Pittsburgh non-profit, Amachi, for a one-a-kind initiative.

“It’s an unthinkable accidental for kids and parents to reconnect particularly aft a agelong play of nary visitation,” said Anna Hollis, enforcement manager for Amachi.

It involves utilizing an immersive, 360-degree virtual world acquisition from Wrap Technologies, offering aggregate scenarios — everything hiking unneurotic to taking a travel into space.

“They lone spot each different erstwhile they are not wearing a headset. We statesman the sojourn with the kid and genitor connecting, talking, catching up, past they determine what escapade they privation to instrumentality connected together,” Anna Hollis said.

The aforesaid acquisition astatine the aforesaid clip but successful 2 antithetic places.

“They person a shared acquisition that takes them extracurricular of the harsh world of the separation that they have, and wherever they find themselves,” Hollis said. “It gives that genitor an accidental to genitor from the wrong nary substance however agelong they’ll be away.”

This virtual world experimentation is being funded by a $600,000 national grant, that’s besides being utilized to bid for correctional guards and clasp inmate parenting classes.

“Ninety-five percent of the men and women who travel to america astatine the Department of Corrections are coming location someday and coming location to their families 1 day. We don’t privation it to beryllium a concern wherever daddy says ‘I’m back,’ possibly with programs similar this daddy ne'er truly has to leave,” said Acting Secretary George Little, PA Departments of Corrections.

This is lone being done successful Pennsylvania.  The programme is successful spot present astatine 4 facilities successful the state. None successful the Midstate, yet. They anticipation to expand. Penn State has been brought connected committee to measure the programme arsenic it plays out.