New York hopes cards for inmates will solve crimes

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Inmates in 58 county jails across New York are getting playing cards with the pictures of missing persons in hopes the photos will jog memories and help solve cold cases.

Under a state Senate pilot program, 7,200 decks of cards are being sent to the jails. They include telephone numbers of tip lines that offer rewards to anyone -- including prisoners -- who provide information about the crimes.

The cards were paid for with a $10,000 grant from Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno from funds he controls.

"This program seeks to go right to the source of crime, providing incarcerated criminals information via playing cards who, in turn, may have credible information or leads that help solve these crimes," Bruno said in a statement

A spokesman for Bruno said a similar scheme in Florida prisons had resulted in leads that helped close old cases.