How do you solve a murder that happened years ago with absolutely no leads?
Corrections officials in the state of New York have begun handing out "cold case" playing cards to prisoners to use in the hopes that someone, somewhere knows something about the case. By providing poker playing cards with all of the facts of each case, the hope is that the prisoners will discuss the cases and provide more details and leads for the police to follow. Each playing card has a different cold case file listed with the details of the crime. The prison officials are hoping that someone who has been incarcerated will step up with more information pertaining to the case.
This playing card method of solving old crimes began in Florida state prisons and they say the program is a success. The program in Florida has resulted in eight arrests and one conviction since it began. This ground breaking idea was started by the Lyalls whose daughter has been missing for over 10 years with no breaks in the case. Using donations raised by the Center for Hope charity, the Lyalls have now sent over 7,000 decks of these poker cards to New York's local jails.
Most prisoners say that they like the idea themselves and believe the cards may have some merit. Most jails have a high turn over rate and the number of criminals processed through these facilities are staggering. The more people that read the cards, the more likely someone, somewhere will have some information that was not known prior.
This program is gaining in popularity and the hope is that many more states will supply their prisoners with these decks of playing cards in the future. This is an innovative idea with some merit, and the thought that even one old case can be solved through these poker cards is enough to give the program a chance to succeed. The response has been promising with over 40 to 50 calls coming in per month.
The only negative feedback has been from a small number of prisoners who find these poker playing cards "disturbing" but over all, they have gained wide acceptance throughout the prisons of Florida where the program was initially developed.
The Lyalls know that the work, at times painful, is important. They are convinced that some of the cases will be solved.
"The strength I find is the fact this is a missing part of my life, and I need to find my daughter, and this is our job now. If you have no other job for the rest of your life your job is to find that child that is missing," Mary Lyall said.
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