Florida Is Giving Playing Cards To Inmates To Solve Crimes. Here’s How.

June 11, 2024

Florida is launching Cold Case Cards to be distributed to prisoners across the state.

Each playing card features a photograph and information about an unsolved homicide or missing-person case. More than 5,000 decks will be distributed to Florida jails and prisons to generate new leads and insights from inmates to help solve longstanding criminal investigations.

The announcement was made Monday by Attorney General Ashley Moody, with the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers, Florida Sheriffs Association and Florida Department of Corrections, at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

More than 5,000 decks of cards will be printed and distributed to more than 60 county jails overseen by Florida Sheriffs’ offices, and 145 sites overseen by FDOC. Each of the cards will tell the story of a missing person or an unsolved homicide case, as well as information about how to report an anonymous tip through **TIPS (8477). Digital versions of the cards will also be available to view online.

Other states have seen success through similar programs. In Connecticut, similar decks have helped the state solve 20 cold cases, and in South Carolina, at least eight cases were solved.

Tips that lead to an arrest are eligible for a cash reward of up to $9,500. Tipsters will remain anonymous.

In February, Attorney General Moody announced the new Florida Cold Case Investigations Unit, housed within the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution. The unit is already producing results, helping investigate and prosecute the suspect of the 2010 murder of a 16-year-old Alachua County boy.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News