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How might we increase the number of registered bone marrow donors to help save more lives? Read the challenge brief

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Save a Life, Earn a Life

With the staggering amounts of people in prisons around the world, why not provide a system whereby prisoners are incentivized to register. Prisoners who match someone in need can elect to donate in exchange for time off of their sentence/parole eligibility (criminal history permitting).
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2009 over 7.2 million people were on probation, in jail or prison, just in the US. Even when you subtract those who for various reasons are not eligible to be donors, you are left with a large amount of individuals who have time on their hands, motivation to get their freedom, and ideally in some cases, a sincere desire to do right where they once did wrong.


Since prisons and their residents are found globally and available from all demographics, this can get a wide range of diverse donors into the registry. Obviously, the extent of any time off a sentence/parole, or a newfound eligibility for parole, would have to be weighed heavily with the nature of the crime and the prisoner's criminal history. Perhaps those who register can get small, more immediate incentives for their support, in terms of the quality of their incarceration.


Teach the prisoners about this cause through educational programs, explain the process so that myths are debunked (either way, who wants to be the tough one who is too scared of being a match and donating), show videos of those in need directing their message to the prison population, tug at some heartstrings, and incentivize them to register and become donors. If this campaign is a continued presence within the system, you don't need to pressure too hard to register immediately; your point of contact with this population is 24/7.


Prisoners already have so much of their personal data on file, so what's a quick swab, used strictly for the registration, during lineup or lockdown going to do?


More importantly, it's a good lesson to give during the attempt at rehabilitation.
Save a life, earn a life.

Which barrier(s) does your concept address?

  1. Fear
  2. Misunderstanding
  3. Time
  4. Feeling rushed

Which step(s) of the journey does your concept apply to?

  1. Awareness
  2. Registration
  3. Donation

1

How easy is this concept to implement?

I could start right now.
This might take a bit of planning and probably some help from several partners.
This is a big undertaking and I'd need a lot of help from friends, organizations and other groups to make it happen.
2

Will this concept successfully reach and encourage under-represented populations (including South Asians) to join the bone marrow registry?

Yes, this concept will resonate with diverse groups of people from all over the world.
No, this concept might not reach under-represented populations very well.
I'm not sure, but I hope so!
3

How well does this concept dispel myths, ease fears, or provide education about bone marrow registration and donation?

Really well -- I already feel like I have a better understanding of the process and why it's important.
Okay, though it'll still take some explaining to get people to understand how bone marrow registration and donation work.
Not very well -- we'd have to create a highly detailed plan around this concept to help people understand.
4

How scalable is this concept?

This concept is highly scalable and could easily impact people all over the world.
This concept is really best suited for small groups and local areas.
This concept could be scaled, but we'd have to refine it for different settings.
1

How easy is this concept to implement?

2

Will this concept successfully reach and encourage under-represented populations (including South Asians) to join the bone marrow registry?

3

How well does this concept dispel myths, ease fears, or provide education about bone marrow registration and donation?

4

How scalable is this concept?

5

Tell us any additional comments you might have about this concept.

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Comments

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Philip Man

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February 27, 2012, 03:59AM
A brave idea. And one with broader consequences and opportunities than just bone marrow donation. Challenges a lot of bias and preconceptions about what rehabilitation into society really means and whether our prison infrastructure really delivers on that social goal.
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Letitia Goodjoint

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April 15, 2011, 02:00AM
I like where you are going with this idea Jonathon! Though I'm a little leary when there is mention of donating bone marrow in exchange for reduced sentence time. Perhaps it could be a requirement to all the peices of personal data needed to register someone entering prison.Nonetheless, this is a brilliant idea and I think it would help the cause immensley. Thanks!
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Priti Rao

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April 14, 2011, 10:42PM
Beautiful concept Jonathan. Very touching, especially the idea of also giving a chance for the prisoners to redeem themselves. Good luck.
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Simon Morfit

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April 11, 2011, 06:03PM
to foster debate on this idea - it seems that some of the comments on this project are guided by the belief that prisoners will be motivated by a desire to atone for their crimes and participate in this program. This will no doubt play a role in the decision making process for some. Yet, there is no guarantee that prisoners will go through this cognitive sequence. One could argue that donating part of your body's resources requires minimal contemplation about your transgressions against society - especially when incentives are offered. The donation could be a purely clinical/physical experience, not an emotional, introspective, or cognitive one. Forgive me for being such skeptic - but as a social science grad student - it's hard not to be, that's what we get trained to do.
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David Gossett

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April 11, 2011, 03:50AM
I can sell sperm and plasma, but not my life (organs). Where does marrow fall on this spectrum? I won’t die if I give my marrow, but it’s not like giving blood, which goes into a large, anonymous, pool. And unlike other donations, I “wait” for the call and a unique need for my marrow.

Next, marrow is free to be given by anyone in society. Are we taking advantage of prisoners because of their confinement? Is this a case of unjustified overprotection? Is donating an opt-in or opt-out decision? Can a prisoner give informed consent? And if a match is made, can the prisoner refuse at the point of donation?

Where is religion in all this? Can prisoners perform a sacrifice to atone for their crime?

Are prisoners more likely to be disqualified? HIV, Heart Attack, Hepatitis, etc. will disqualify anyone. And tattoos and piercings require a 12 month embargo for donation.

If we are going to err on one side or the other, do we take into consideration this is often life and death for the recipient? And will bring no harm to the donator.

Can this idea be implemented globally? Are countries like China and the Philippines already making inroads in these areas?

This idea may fail in execution, but I believe 100% it should at least be attempted. I would start with 5 prisons and randomized approaches. 1) Would only ask for opt-in at moment entering the prison. 2) Would publicize a local need for marrow and give it a face – like a drive/campaign. 3) Focus on children stories of marrow need. 4) Give each prisoner who registers recognition -- something in cell, emblem, etc. 5) Offer intra-prison incentives at time of match and donation.
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Ben Pawsey

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April 10, 2011, 01:27AM
This has a lot of potential and is a great idea! Anything involving changes to sentences heavily complicates this concept so I'd lean more heavily on your idea of incentives within their incarceration. The opportunity to redeem themselves in the eyes of society could be enough motivation for many of the prisoners. It could build their self-esteem and self-worth by helping save someones life.
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Sujatha Krishnamoorthy

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April 08, 2011, 04:06PM
In fact, one of India's most respected and beloved police women, Kiran Bedi, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiran_Bedi) is famous for her prison reforms in Tihar prisons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tihar_Prisons). They went so far as to give the prisons a new name: Tihar ashram. (an ashram is a spiritual community with Gurus)
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Sujatha Krishnamoorthy

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April 08, 2011, 03:58PM
Very touching! I remember the movie "seven pounds" where Will Smith acts as a person who could set things right by donating his organs after a fatal accident killing people. The movie had a morbid tone, but the general idea holds good. People often wish they could set things right by saving a life. There are some corrupt prisons, and some very innovative prison systems (should probably call them a better name... like rehabiliation facilities). We could put this idea into the innovative prisons....
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kate mcneely

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April 05, 2011, 12:53AM
This is an intriguing idea, but I am afraid this idea would essentially marginalize prisoners more. I feel that this touches a pon similar ethical issues that arrise with selling organs, in that it could be seen as taking advantage of the prisoners. I also agree with Trenton in that there is a very real danger of seeming coercion of the prisoner on the part of the prison system.
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Yi-Ching Hwang

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April 03, 2011, 04:15PM
Very interesting to read all the comments and great idea Jonathan! I think besides saving a life, the biggest benefit may be the beginning of re-integration into society for the prisoners. It's often tough feeling a part of society after being locked away for a long time, but to immediately feel useful, giving, and becoming involved, now that's quite something!
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Jonathan Shahar

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April 01, 2011, 12:06AM
Trenton, I am cynical in these matters, just like you. I had the same worry of a slippery slope and a dystopian future where prisons are thought of as a coerced source of other "parts" needed in the medical community. The same can be said of the military idea and having your CO and above pressuring you, or perhaps there's a friendly fire "accident" when a fellow officer's relative is a match. There's a lot of ways of these things playing out in a Hollywood-type structure. But I'm trying to stay positive :)

The prison system and its rehabilitative success has a pretty bad image, and needs a revamp in general, but I don't think that this type of program would do any more harm than anything else that may be going on right now, and it has a huge potential to save many lives and do good in the world while offering a program that can help rehabilitate, in whatever small way it may be. Knowing that you consciously acted to try and help someone and save a life can definitely have an effect on someone.
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Trenton DuVal

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March 24, 2011, 01:07AM
One complication of this concept that I can imagine is that it might soon become a de facto coercion. While you may have the best intentions not to pressure prisoners into registering, it is easy to see how this could be taken to an extreme within the prison industry. It goes beyond "good behavior" as a means of rewarding prisoners with shorter incarceration times because of the invasive nature of swabbing and, of course, donation, should it come to that.

Don't get me wrong - I actually agree with this idea in theory. I guess I am just too cynical about the prison-industrial complex to believe that this wouldn't eventually descend into a human rights abuse. If we take as an example the use of supposedly rehabilitative prison labor, it's easy to picture this concept as a slippery slope.
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Jonathan Shahar

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March 21, 2011, 10:55PM
Hey Ashley, thanks for the warm welcome. My daily visits to this site are quickly starting to match Facebook :)
A quick look shows a few organizations focused on alternatives to incarceration and rehabilitation such as National Center on Institutions and Alternatives, Partnership for Safety and Justice, and Prison SMART. Also, some prisons already use good behavior systems or community service/rehabilitation programs to provide jail time/parole incentives. Adding to the pool of potential donors and helping to save lives is definitely a worthy enough community service to add to that list.
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Ashley Jablow

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March 17, 2011, 11:11PM
Jonathan, welcome to OpenIDEO and congrats on such a thoughtful, and thought-provoking, Concept! I can see it being a sensitive or delicate subject, but it's certainly an interesting community to think about reaching. To push things a bit further, I wonder if there are NGOs or other organizations that already offer similar or related rehabilitation opportunities for prisoners. Perhaps there's a way to partner with them?
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Jonathan Shahar

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March 17, 2011, 05:56PM
Thanks for the feedback everybody. Krassimira, I didn't get a chance to go through many inspirations before posting (I'm new to this brilliant OPEN IDEO concept) but thanks for providing the link to your post. I like your idea of additional/extended visiting time as an incentive for registering! Such a quick and easy thank you for their registration, and a great way to have non-registered inmates see the benefit and want to do it themselves.

It is a sensitive topic, I got reprimanded by a friend for even suggesting time off/parole, but I think it merits consideration. As for the need for diversity in the registry, I read somewhere that Caucasians make up 73% of the registry and only 36% of the inmate population (quick glance, don't hold me to that %). Add to that prisoners around the world, and you have an incredible amount of lifesaving diversity that can be added to the registry.
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Justin Kim

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March 17, 2011, 11:15AM
Totally agree with Katie, it really is one of the ideas born out of the box, yet does make a sense. I love the idea of providing the opportunities to prisoners to do something good. Thank you Jonathan
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Krassimira Iordanova

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March 17, 2011, 11:13AM
Jonathan, I believe there is a great potential in this concept! I thought about this during the inspiration phase and posted an inspiration some weeks back- http://bit.ly/edmnR9
An incentive for the prisoners could be additional/extended visiting time with their families while they serve time in prison. Another slightly wild incentive is the possbility to even reduce the sentence with i.e. 6 months.
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Katie Clark

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March 17, 2011, 04:14AM
Jonathan -- what a thought provoking concept. Really amazing. Thank you for posting.
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