Prisoners' Inventions by Temporary Services Search Amazon for other books by or about Temporary Services. Rating: Reviewed by: John L. Hoh, Jr.

When we think of innovations and inventions, we think of scientists, or tinkerers, or engineers working for a company. We rarely think of prisoners. But it shouldn't surprise us that prisoners are creative and inventive since they usually came up with inventive and creative ways to commit their crimes. I have often wondered why they didn't put that energy to good, legal use instead of committing crime.

One area of concern for the prisoner is the area of contraband. Certain things, like cardboard or altered radios, are contraband. Here the reader finds some creative solutions. One prisoner had a boom box that was missing its speakers. It was just fine with earphones. But because the speakers were missing, it was considered contraband. The prisoner found some cardboard and made a "case" for the boom box and with a creative use of markers it could almost plausibly appear as a complete system. At least the guards left it alone while he had it (pity, perhaps?). It was confiscated one month after he sold it to another prisoner.

Angelo, the genius behind many of the inventions in this book, also created a cup that resisted detection. He used paper mache to build it up, then took a marker and drew a large circle on the bottom. From a distance it looked like a roll of toilet paper.

The book contains creative uses for the john other than for relief of bodily functions. You'll learn how to make cottage cheese and yogurt using only what's in a prison cell. You'll learn how to make crude heating elements to heat tea, coffee, or even cheese sandwiches. You'll even learn how to make a salt and pepper shaker from the shell of a Bic lighter!

Angelo, the brains behind this book, includes many pencil drawings of his inventions. It seems Angelo has a future as an illustrator.