Virtual tour of Midlands Prison cost over €60,000, 'high-end' CGI officer cost €20,000

Darragh Mc Donagh

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) spent more than €60,000 developing a virtual reality tour of the Midlands Prison last year with the aim of “demystifying” life behind bars for members of the public.

The original bill for the web-based production was just over €41,000 but it was belatedly decided to add a “high-end” CGI prison officer to the tour at a cost of €20,000. This was intended to provide a “human element” and “soften the feel” of the prison environment.

An AI-generated picture of a smoky-eyed woman with full lips was attached to the proposal to demonstrate how the prison officer might appear. It was suggested that this could become the “digital face of the Irish Prison Service” in the future.

The image of an AI-generated woman attached to the proposal for the addition of prison officer to the virtual tour, demonstrating how it may look.

The addition of the CGI character, who provides commentary during the virtual tour, required animation, motion capture for its actions, lip-synch recording, and AI voice-over training using a neutral Irish accent.

Ambient sounds, such as the rattle of handcuffs and the noise of inmates playing pool, were also recorded over two days at the Midlands Prison and applied to the interactive tour as part of the additions.

The CGI prison officer in the recreation room at the Midlands Prison during the tour.

A contract for the development of the virtual reality tour was signed with business and IT consultancy, Emagine Limited, in March 2024. Production was to take place at the prison over two days the following month, costing €41,328 including VAT.

However, “during the course of the initial visit”, matters were discussed with the company representatives “that were not previously considered”, according to records released by the IPS under freedom of information laws.

A number of additions were proposed, including the development and use of a CGI prison guard, and production was postponed for a week pending approval of amendments that would eventually cost another €19,926.

The CGI prison officer gives visitors a tour of a prison cell.

The virtual tour was launched last month by Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, who said the innovative project would “greatly enhance the public’s understanding of how our prisons operate”.

The 360-degree tour begins outside the main gate to Ireland’s largest prison, where the CGI officer provides an introduction and gives users an option of proceeding through the visitors’ entrance or the prisoners’ entrance.

The tour continues through a reception area where new prisoners are screened for concealed contraband and “booked into the system” before heading to the cells and various other areas of the facility, including the exercise yard, gym, recreation room, kitchen, workshop, and barber shop.

The CGI prison officer, who was added to the virtual tour at an extra cost of around €20,000.

Every detail of the production was closely examined to ensure that no confidential or operational security information was compromised, according to the IPS.

It said the interactive tool was intended to deliver an informative and educational virtual tour that broadens public understanding, while strictly safeguarding all security-sensitive aspects of the prison.

The development of the tour followed discussions with stakeholders from the Department of Justice, who tasked the IPS with identifying a mechanism to increase public awareness and understanding of the Irish prison system.

The virtual tour is accessible through the IPS website, which describes the interactive tool as the “first time ever” that the public has been to “see and travel within a live operational prison”.