Colorado inmates may soon have "missing person" playing cards

Soon, playing cards in Colorado jails could be replaced by ones emblazoned with the photos of missing persons and unsolved homicide victims, says a Colorado Department of Corrections representative, who adds the new playing-card program "hasn’t actually started, but is a work in progress."

If so, Colorado corrections will join a handful of agencies in places like New York, Texas, Missouri, Ohio, Iowa and Washington, who use or are introducing these cards in their jails in hopes that the images will spark tips from inmates – and maybe a confession or two.

According to its website, Effective Playing Cards has produced more than 30 of these customized law-enforcement decks – including a state-wide deck for Florida jails. The company claims their cards have directly help solve four criminal cases, with several more potential indictments on the way.

Soon a full house around here may lead somebody to the Big House. -- Joel Warner