Luxury Prison Suite: Difference between revisions
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[[File:garyuucell.png|link=Ace Attorney|frame|Almost makes you want to commit crimes just to get in there, eh?]]
{{quote|"Odds bodkins! This convict penitentiary is really nice! If I ever get arrested, I'll demand to be sent here!"
|'''Charles Upstart III''', ''[[DuckTales (1987)]]''}}
A big-time crook gets sent away to prison, but the forces of law and order can't sever all his outside connections. [[Might as Well Not Be in Prison At All|The character in question has the wherewithal to bribe the guards, walk freely through the prison, have his plumbing and his bedsheets upgraded, eat caviar in his cell instead of baked beans in the lunchroom, etc.]] Sometimes, the prisoner may actually have all the resources necessary to escape, staying "imprisoned" because [[Play-Along Prisoner|there's a particular reason to do so]]. Or maybe it's because they [[Boxed Crook| do something that actually benefits the authorities]]. Usually occurs with rich crooks; they'll do anything to retain as much as they can of their former big-spending lifestyle.▼
▲{{quote|"Odds bodkins! This convict penitentiary is really nice! If I ever get arrested, I'll demand to be sent here!"|'''Charles Upstart III''', ''[[DuckTales]]''}}
▲A big-time crook gets sent away to prison, but the forces of law and order can't sever all his outside connections. [[Might as Well Not Be in Prison At All|The character in question has the wherewithal to bribe the guards, walk freely through the prison, have his plumbing and his bedsheets upgraded, eat caviar in his cell instead of baked beans in the lunchroom, etc.]] Sometimes, the prisoner may actually have all the resources necessary to escape, staying "imprisoned" because [[Play-Along Prisoner|there's a particular reason to do so]]. Usually occurs with rich crooks; they'll do anything to retain as much as they can of their former big-spending lifestyle.
This is actually [[Truth in Television]], greats like Al Capone, Pol Pot, and Augusto Pinochet were kept under house arrest or housed in very, very nice prison cells.
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{{examples}}
== Advertising ==
* A 2011 Audi commercial features two millionaires trying to break out of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3snyXTNmFm8 a luxury prison].
== Anime
* Oliva in ''[[Baki the Grappler]]'' has his own prison cell decorated like a hotel suite, complete with the finest of liquors and 5-course meals. In exchange, though, [[Police Are Useless|he helps the police capture crooks]].
* The [[Penal Colony]] Lutecia was sent to after ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS]]''. It looks like a summer getaway and has no restrictions on outside communication, visitors, and delivered items. Lutecia's only limitation seems to be that she can't leave the ''planet''. Agito even commented in ''[[StrikerS Sound Stage X]]'' on how nice the place is when she visited Lutecia {{spoiler|and her recently re-awakened mother, Megane}} so they could have a picnic there. Unlike most examples, this is less about the prisoner being rich, and more about the prisoner being extremely young and [[Brainwashed and Crazy|not fully accountable]] [[Dark Magical Girl|for her part in the terrorist attack]]. She presumably didn't accept the [["Get Out of Jail Free" Card]] the others did. ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid]]'' later revealed that it also has a massive personal training camp that Nanoha and crew can occasionally use, complete with a hot spring.
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** Bonus fun; that nice table? The hollow legs are crammed full of hundred dollar bills. Just in case another bribe needs to happen.
** Especially in the [[Marvel Comics 2]] Universe, he's depicted in ''[[Spider-Girl]]'' as having an entire luxury suite in his prison cell. Of course, he gets away with it by being a [[Magnificent Bastard]].
* The one-shot comic ''[[Venom (Comic Book)| The Trial of Venom]]'', a crossover between ''[[Daredevil]]'' and ''[[Spider-Man]]'' begins with the warden at the Vault giving a visitor a tour of the facility, and explaining the new security (put in after the mass break out in ''Acts of Vengeance'') which includes new holographic technology. She also explains how they're experimenting with a rewards system to encourage rehabilitation, showing Moonstone as an example. She's sunbathing in her cell, which has been turned into a pleasant beach motif using the holograms.
* A minor character from Alan Moore's ''[[Watchmen]]'', the Big Figure, is seen wearing a silk cravat with his prison blues, smoking a big Cuban cigar, and walking freely through the prison accompanied by two henchmen (though it is implied that he's coercing some of the guards for these privileges, as demonstrated when he asks Rorschach's guard about his wife and children and the guard becomes terrified).
* A variant in Alan Moore's comic book ''Albion''; psychotic British superhero Captain Hurricane is given a life of luxury in prison because, if he entered one of his "ragin' furies", he could tear the place apart. He's kept in line because due to the drugs in his tea he isn't aware he's in prison at all. {{spoiler|As you can imagine he's part of the mass breakout in the climax.}}
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* When [[The Joker]] had his own short-lived series during the 1970s, he somehow had a miniature hide-out constructed beneath his cell in Arkham Asylum.
* The alternate continuity ''[[Punisher]]'' series, published under the ''Max'' imprint, subverts this in the storyline ''The Cell'. The five that fired the bullets that killed Frank's family are all in the same large cell in Riker's. It looks like any old regular cell, but the narration reveals that they can get whatever the hell they want (except women) and the guards will look the other way. It's implied they could just outright leave if they wanted to. Frank doesn't let them.
* In one [[Wonder Woman]] story [https://web.archive.org/web/20140421160558/http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=571:wonder-woman-goes-to-prison&catid=34:suffering-sappho-index&Itemid=39 Wonder Woman goes to a planet where prison is said to be incredibly pleasant, and everyone goes at 15].
* ''[[Mad Magazine]]'' often parodies the kind of prisons white collar criminals and celebrities get sent to.
* Spider-Man and Daredevil villain Hammerhead has one of these in a recent ''[[Daredevil]]'' arc.
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== Fan
* In ''[[Light and Dark - The Adventures of Dark Yagami|Light and Dark The Adventures of Dark Yagami]]'', Dark uses his Royal Death Note to manipulate prisoners into doing illegal things for him and then dying in order to get a lot of prison food.
== Film ==
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* In the Australian novel ''Underground'', Leo James ends up imprisoned in the abandoned [[wikipedia:Parliament House, Canberra#The House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], and despite being periodically tortured by American agents, he finds it quite comfortable: he has the pick of all the furniture to sleep on, access to the member's lounge and toilets, and just about anything the evacuated members left behind.
* In Philip Pullman's ''[[His Dark Materials]]'', this is the fate of Lord Asriel. He was banished to the North for causing political distress, but was allowed to contract the construction of his own cabin including ''glass windows'' (which were very expensive at that time). He even managed to continue the experiments that got him banished in the first place by having materials and equipment smuggled in.
*
* In ''[[The Divine Comedy]]'', Hell itself has a place like this for the Good Pagans, mortals who committed no real sin but were born before Christ or died unbaptized (which was a big thing in Catholicism at the time). Basically, the place is a beautiful meadow where the only unpleasant part is lack of Hope and boredom; the occupants discuss philosophy and art via meditation and from each other. Residents include [[Greek Mythology|Electra]], [[The Iliad|Hector]], [[Ovid]], [[Homer]], [[w:Horace|Horace]], [[w:Lucan|Lucan]], and of course, [[Virgil]] - all writers Dante admired. [[Julius Caesar]] is depicted as ruling the place from a magnificent throne; he was a ruler Dante revered, and is thus given a position Dante feels he deserved. Virgil claims than residents here can and have be admitted to Heaven eventually, former residents including [[The Bible|Adam, Abraham, Moses, Abel, Noah, David, and Rachel]], among more obscure Biblical figures.
* In ''[[Vigor Mortis]]'', after Jelisaveta becomes an inquisitor, her first assignment is to work at a correctional facility. There are a few key differences between this facility and what we think of as "prison": The goal isn't to punish the inmates, it's to "rehabilitate" them, though as of November 12th, 2021 it's not yet clear if this means the must inmates be helpful to society, or if it specifically means serving the organization that had them imprisoned. Jelisaveta was surprised by the comfy conditions the inmates were kept in - of course, the more dangerous the inmate, the less comforts they're offered (like privacy).
== Live Action TV ==
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* In ''[[Skyrim]]'', Sibbi Black-briar is given an eight month sentence in a luxurious "cell"—an actual bed, gourmet food, etc. -- for committing ''murder''. This is thanks to his mother Maven being one of the most influential and powerful people in Skyrim. And he still has the gall to complain.
* During the introduction of ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', Shepard half-jokes that being detained isn't so bad "once you get used to the hot food and soft beds." What little we see of Shepard's cell features floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on the city, and since nobody bats an eyelash at Shepard walking around unrestrained, we can assume s/he's been given freedom to move about.
* ''[[Portal 2]]'' starts the same way the first game did, with Chell waking up in a cell, but this time, the cell looks like a nice hotel room. Until, that is, she wakes up a second time and has to escape the power malfuction about to wreck the whole facility.
== Web Original ==
* In the ''[[SCP Foundation]]'', a lot of SCPs are contained this way, often because the only way to keep them contained is to ensure they do not want to leave. Some well-known examples:
** [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-082 SCP-082] (aka Fernand the Cannibal) [[Napoleon Delusion|believes he is the King of France]]. Because it seems impossible to kill him or hold him in any sort of restraint (and is very dangerous, especially if angered), the Foundation enforces this delusion. His spacious living accommodations have the appearance of a luxurious palace, he is given any amenities he desires (like television, movies, books, and gourmet food), and anyone who speaks to him (mostly D-classes) are instructed to address him as they would actual royalty.
** [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-053 SCP-053] (“the Small Girl”) is a child suffering a curse that makes her [[Not Allowed to Grow Up|unable to grow older]], and inflicts a [[Hate Plague]] on anyone who touches her or stays near her for longer than 10 minutes. Her cell is more or less a comfortable child’s room, and she is given toys, books, and games typical of a five-year-old, with the food provided being prepared by her request.
** The Foundation is more cautious with [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-166 SCP-166] (the “Teen Succubus”), but she is still given a suite with comfortable furnishings and provided with any requests she makes, within reason (such as a Bible, other books, rosary beads, and occasional use of a telephone to call the nuns at the convent who raised her as a child). She’s even allowed a furlough every month, although where she goes is marked [DATA EXPUNGED]. So long as only female researchers and doctors interact with her, there is little risk.
** With [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-343 SCP-343], Foundation members are told to pretty much give him whatever he wants. He claims to be God (whether true or not is debatable, but he clearly has god-like powers), and [[Self-Restraint|could leave any time he wanted]] - nobody wants that, seeing as he's a font of wisdom who loves giving advice or moral support to anyone who asks. He's also used his considerable [[Reality Warper]] powers to refurnish his cell, making it [[Bigger on the Inside]], with expensive-looking furniture, art, and a working fireplace - despite no connecting chimney.
** Possibly the most unfair example is [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-056 SCP-056]; despite having murdered 17 SCP operatives and dozens of civilians while resisting their attempt to contain her (though they ultimately did) and despite being incredibly rude to the researchers and staff, she is given anything she wants other than weapons, communication devices, and internet, and her cell has things like a king-size waterbed, Jacuzzi, plus any food or entertainment she desires. The reason for this is simple - what makes her dangerous is the fact that [[Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better|Anything They Can Do, She Can Do Better]], literally. If she were to be punished, disciplined, or held with hard-restraints, she'd quickly adjust and be able to do it better than they could, assuring she would escape her cell with thoughts of bloody revenge on her mind...
** [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-953 SCP-953] is another SCP who does not deserve it, as she has brutally murdered 10 Foundation operatives, dozens of civilians, and in one case, used her abilities of mind control to [[Moral Event Horizon| force a woman to murder, cook, and eat her own child]]. She is treated well out of necessity, as every time she escapes (as she has done seven times) she has brutally murdered any operative who abused her but spared anyone who showed kindness or generosity. If she behaves, her bed is regularly changed with clean sheets, she is allowed to have books, and given plumb wine and raw liver (''beef'' liver, not the human liver she prefers, but better than what most Keter-class SCPs are given). If she does ''not'' behave, however, her accommodations can be changed to iron shackles and prison gruel at a moment's notice - this system can at least dissuade her from acts of violence for ''a while'' at least.
** [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-811 SCP-811]'s cell is a swamp-themed biosphere, a very nice place to live for anyone who is a swamp-dwelling [[Plant Person]] like she is. Plus the Foundation regularly releases small animals into the biosphere for her to hunt - it sates her aggression and keeps her from attacking Foundation members. D-Classes also give her a shampoo every other day, although that is more for health-related reasons.
== Western Animation ==
* In ''[[Megamind]]'', the
** He ''grew up'' in that prison. First he just landed there, but then the fucked-up logic of the setting meant that as a three-year-old participating in a prison break, he was sentenced to jail time instead of being put into the foster care system.
* ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'':
** Taurus Bulba in the pilot episode; he connives behind the guards' backs instead of bribing them. He takes this trope [[Up to Eleven]]. His cell is capable of transforming into an executive office, complete with secretary and outside phone line. Then later on you find out he's turned the entire prison into his own flying fortress.
** Also done in one episode where Darkwing spies on a villain in a minimum security prison. There's literally no fences or walls, only a loudspeaker thanking the prisoners for not leaving.
** The super-maximum-security prison that other super-villains are sent to isn't like this, but Quackerjack seems to enjoy being there anyway. As Megavolt remarks to Liquidator and Bushroot when they're all on work duty, "Someone should tell Quackerjack that prison isn't supposed to be fun."
* ''[[Ricochet Rabbit]]'' had one episode where he has to evict a cowboy prisoner who is quite happy right where he is, in the county prison. "Where else can I get a room and three square meals a day, for free?"
* Guitierrez in ''[[Freakazoid!]]'' gets away with this. Except for his toilet. He bullies the warden into giving him everything he wants, including an internet connection.
* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'',
*
** When Superman needed the Parasite's help to find a bomb, the Parasite was offered a tv inside his cell in exchange for his cooperation.▼
▲* In ''[[The Simpsons]]'', Homer, as a prison snitch, gets things like a plasma TV, a "Snitch Life" bling chain, and even a Segway from his "Mother".
▲*** Given that the local prison Harvard rowing team asked him to join up for a match against Princeton, its likely that the place is a prison for "white collar" criminals like corrupt business men or, in Bob's case, a corrupt politician
** In another episode, when Kirk Van Houten was arrested, Chief Wiggum told him the cell he's going to wouldn't be so cold and damp as Van Houten's apartment. In fact, a normal prison cell felt like the trope for him.
* In ''[[Home Movies]]'', Brendon's class is taken on a field trip to a prison as part of a [[Scare'Em Straight]] program. However, they took them to a white collar prison, which the kids considered akin to this trope. Coach McGuirk even remarked that the cells were better than his apartment.
* ''[[Gargoyles
* The above quote is from [[DuckTales (1897)|the 1987 ''
{{quote|'''Bonaparte Beagle:''' Oh, guard! Go pack our bags and tell the warden we've escaped for a week or so.}}
* In one episode of ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'', his Dad wouldn't hire cable tv, which prompted Dex into building a satellite that (illegally) brought extra channels. When the authorities learned about the fact, they blamed and arrested Dad. When Dexter's Mom went to the Precinct where Dad was taken to, she was told he could have left hours ago. Dad was then shown enjoying his cell's tv.
* [[DC Animated Universe]] examples:
** John Corbin (before becoming Metallo) has this, a "reward" from Lex Luthor for not turning stool pigeon. Unfortunately for him, this also makes Luthor think his loyalty makes him [[Unwilling Roboticisation| the perfect recipient]] [[What Have I Become?| of a procedure that]] [[Blessed With Suck| Corbin eventually regrets...]]
▲** When Superman needed the Parasite's help to find a bomb, the Parasite was offered a
** In the episode "Where There's Smoke", Volcana was spared a regular prison and instead isolated on an island, where Superman brought her supplies (this was both for extenuating circumstances and for the protection of other inmates, given her powers); it seemed a tropical paradise, so long as she stayed put, but she clearly did not. She was later seen fighting Supergirl, and later sent to a high-security section of Stryker's Island Penitentiary.
** The Ultrahumanite has one of these in ''[[Justice League]]'', albeit a relatively small one. Gourmet food, classical music, TV, books, he has to be heavily bribed by Lex to even consider escaping. {{spoiler| And then he agrees to betray Lex and go back anyway in return for Batman doubling Luthor's price... in the form of a charitable "generous donation" to his favorite classical music television channel in the Humanite's name. [[Viewers Like You|The channel even thanks him for it on air]].}}
** Bizarro World is this for Bizarro. Superman figured that the easiest way to keep a dimwitted clone of himself out of trouble was to "appoint" him as a guardian of this planet - which is uninhabited. It's not exactly a nice place to live, but Bizarro seems happy regardless.
* ''[[She-Ra|She-Ra and the Princesses of Power]]'':
** {{spoiler|Because Brightmoon has never had any need for a prison - or even a stockade - Queen Angella has the captured Shadoweaver kept in a standard guest room. Eventually, she becomes slightly more trusted, given access to more areas of the palace (even starting a garden) becoming an [[Evil Mentor]] to both Adora and Glimmer.}}
** {{spoiler|Scorpia fares even better - while they do tie her up and keep her under guard, they actually let her use Queen Angella's bedroom, as "it's the only spare room we have" with Perfuma (despite Scorpia having stung her in the fight that leads to Scorpia being captured) making sure she is well-fed. The great irony (which is not lost of Scorpia) is that she is treated better as a prisoner by the heroes than she ever was as a high-ranking officer in the villains' employ.}}
* In an episode of ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]'', the team finds themselves in Ghostworld, where they are caught by the [[Evil Counterpart| People Busters]] and jailed in a human-holding containment unit; the [[Hammerspace]] interior resembles a peaceful, idyllic meadow. One could fathom thus that ''their'' containment unit is a nice place for ghosts, seeing as Ghost World is a dark mirror image of Earth.
** The heroes themselves seem to believe this; in one episode, they encounter a ghost who has been woken up from its eternal slumber, and simply ''cannot stand'' noise. They quickly determine it would be happy in the containment unit, as it's pretty quiet in there. Of course, it's hard to negotiate with a ghost when even the sound of ''talking'' makes it angry...
** This is later confirmed by other parts of the franchise. The containment unit is apparently comparable to a Heaven-like afterlife or grand royal pharaoh's tomb. At least one supernatural entity has surrendered for that reason.
== Real Life ==
* Surprisingly enough, Adolf Hitler. After the Beer Hall Putsch he was tried for high treason and sentenced to five years in Festungshaft (literally "fortress confinement"). Festungshaft was a type of jail that excluded forced labor, featured reasonably comfortable cells, and allowed the prisoner to receive visitors almost daily for many hours. It was the customary sentence for people whom the judge believed to have had honourable, but misguided motives. While in prison, he dictated most of the first volume of ''[[Mein Kampf]]''.
* Sharashka's, special prisons in the Soviet Union's Gulag System. As seen in [[The First Circle]] they were used to coerce political prisoners with useful scientific and engineering skills. Do well enough and you'll get released. Do bad, and you get kicked down back to the normal prisons.
* A fair number of nobles ended up imprisoned like this. In the Middle Ages, the noble may be related to his captor, and nobles were held prisoner primarily to obtain a ransom. Besides, you never knew if your prisoner would one day be holding you hostage. Better to treat him well and hope he'd return the favor in the future.
* In [[Real Life]] most countries operated this as policy (i.e. you had to pay for most things and the more you paid the more you could get) up until round about the 1700 to 1800 period.
*
* Although to a lesser extent than the Pablo Escobar example, Al Capone's cell during his eight-month stay at Eastern State Penitentiary was noted by the gangster as being "very comfortable." It included Oriental rugs, fine art, and a state of the art radio receiver. He couldn't keep it up in the federal prison system after his tax evasion conviction, however.
* In his memoir ''Wiseguy'' (which was adapted into the film ''[[Goodfellas]]''), Henry Hill goes into detail about the time he served at Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary, which was nicknamed "Mafia Manor." How comfy was it? Mobsters got their own special dorm, which was described as looking like a Holiday Inn. Mobsters were allowed to cook their own meals made from gourmet foods smuggled in ''by the guards''. Mobsters didn't have to work if they didn't want to; if they did (for the pay), they could get someone else to do it. And mobsters could use the phone whenever they wanted, and one mobster stored the drugs he was selling ''in the chaplain's safe''. The place was so nice, you couldn't even get in unless you greased the palm of the bureaucrat in charge.
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* Al Capone, finally convicted on tax related charges, began his sentence in a prison where his money and fame brought him all the finer things in life, including the ability to leave if he wanted to. Unfortunately for Al, it all came crashing down when the guards told a visiting official that he was out, but was supposed to return later. Then he was transferred to Alcatraz, had the crap beat out of him by inmates, and eventually lost his mind to dementia caused by syphillis. Which then killed him when he got out. So... [[Broken Aesop|crime doesn't pay if you have an undiagnosed case of syphillis]]
* When she was imprisoned for tax evasion, "Queen of Mean" Leona Helmsley hired and bullied fellow inmates into waiting on her hand and foot, just like when she ran her hotels. One even served as her personal secretary.
* Despite
* Brazilian former Judge Nicolau dos Santos Neto, who was arrested and convicted for embezzling funds from the building of a courtroom, is occasionally transferred from prison to house arrest on the pretence of treating a depression case.
* The infamous [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/27/tren-aragua-nino-tocoron-venezuela/ Tocorón prison in Venezuela], due to be [[Might as Well Not Be in Prison At All|basically managed by the Tren de Aragua gang]], slowly but surely got transformed from an overcrowded penitentiary center to a full family resort via absorbing the surrounding area and nearby town to build amenities like a night club, a full size baseball diamond, a children play area, and even a small zoo with exotic animals among others. They also had tunnels for the inmates to get out, with came handy when the Venezuelan government finally raided the place in a semblance of taking control over it.
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Crime and Punishment Tropes]]
[[Category:Prison]]
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