16 Useful Items Invented by Prisoners
Prison walls might confine the body, but they can’t cage human creativity. Throughout history, inmates have turned deprivation into innovation, transforming scraps and everyday items into ingenious solutions for their daily needs. The restrictive environment that’s designed to suppress inventiveness has instead sparked some of the most resourceful problem-solving you’ll ever encounter.
From the first mass-produced toothbrush to sophisticated cooking devices, prisoners have consistently proven that necessity truly is the mother of invention. Here’s a list of 16 remarkable items that emerged from behind bars, showing how human ingenuity thrives even in the most challenging circumstances.
The Toothbrush
In 1780, William Addis created the first mass-produced toothbrush while imprisoned in Newgate prison for inciting a riot. He saved an animal bone from his meal, drilled small pits into it, and inserted boar bristles secured with wire. After his release, Addis built a toothbrush empire that made him wealthy and continues operating today as Wisdom Toothbrushes.
Immersion Heaters
Known as ‘stingers,’ these heating devices are made from razor blades, paper clips, and popsicle sticks. Inmates insert the metal-tipped contraption into wall sockets to heat water for coffee, soup, or cleaning. The design is surprisingly sophisticated for something cobbled together from prison commissary items.
Chess Sets
Prisoners craft elaborate chess sets from paper mache, with each piece becoming more intricate as guards confiscate and inmates remake them. One inmate named Ron turned out ‘exquisite sets’ repeatedly, reasoning that while it’s the guards’ job to keep them down, it’s the inmates’ job to show they can’t be broken.
Miniature Tables
These clever little tables are constructed from ramen noodle packages and masking tape, perfect for playing dice or enjoying snacks in bunks. They represent the ultimate in recycling, turning discarded food packaging into functional furniture that adds comfort to an otherwise barren environment.
Homemade Candles
Using empty yogurt containers, baby oil, and thread, prisoners create candles for light after hours and sterilizing needles. While obviously against prison rules due to fire hazards, these makeshift candles serve multiple purposes beyond simple illumination.
Cell Cooking Stoves
One German prisoner built a functional stove using a broken heater, aluminum foil, and wire. Other inmates cook bologna jerky directly on built-in cell light fixtures. These cooking methods show how prisoners adapt available heat sources for food preparation.
Electric Lighters
A simple but effective lighter made by taping wire to a battery’s negative terminal. When you touch the other end to the positive terminal, the exposed wire heats up enough to light nicotine or candles. Another version uses a small metal disk from a cola can, a nail, and thread to create a self-extinguishing nicotine device.
Pencil Storage Boxes
Artistic inmates transform discarded toothpaste boxes into storage containers for colored pencils and art supplies. These simple modifications help organize precious creative materials in spaces where storage is extremely limited.
Salt and Pepper Dispensers
Inmates create carefully designed dispensers from Bic lighters or ice cream sticks. Despite being contraband, these items are crafted with pride and kept as personal possessions that add dignity to institutional meals.
Fishing Lines
One prisoner named Billy was obsessed with making quality fishing lines for fellow inmates, using clothing fabric for passing notes or commissary items between cells. The lines were confiscated so frequently that a guard remarked he was surprised Billy had any clothes left to make them from.
Privacy Curtains
Inmates develop various methods to create privacy in shared spaces, using available materials to construct temporary barriers. These inventions address the basic human need for personal space in environments designed to eliminate privacy.
Weapon Concealment Devices
A sophisticated blade hidden inside a crucifix was confiscated from a German prison workshop. While concerning from a security standpoint, the craftsmanship demonstrates remarkable skill in metalworking and concealment design.
Mini Lathes
Using discarded plastic pieces, batteries, wire, tape, and rubber bands, prisoners have constructed functional mini-lathes. These machines can create tools, art pieces, or other needed items with surprising precision given their improvised construction.
Communication Systems
Prisoners develop various methods for communicating between cells, creating networks that bypass official channels. These systems range from simple tapping codes to more elaborate mechanical devices that transmit messages.
Cooling Systems
Inmates cool drinks by placing cans in wet socks and positioning them in front of ventilators. This simple evaporative cooling technique effectively chills beverages without access to refrigeration.
Steamers and Food Processors
Sophisticated cooking devices include steamers made from two bowls hinged together with rosary beads. Other food preparation methods involve using toilets for washing, drinking, brewing, and cooking.
When Survival Meets Innovation
The inventions emerging from correctional facilities represent more than mere survival tactics. They demonstrate how creativity and problem-solving remain fundamental human traits, achievable even under extreme scarcity. These innovations remind us that the drive to improve one’s circumstances and assert individual dignity transcends even the most restrictive environments, proving that human ingenuity always finds a way.
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