Cold cases are cold, and the failure to close old, cold cases is often used to condemn law enforcement with good reason. After all, cops are brilliant on TV shows, capable of using a combination of intuition and magic to figure out whodunnit. But that’s not working in Florida, so the attorney general, Ashley Moody, has come up with an alternative plan when CSI fails her.

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 today announced the launch of Cold Case Cards. 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.

Playing cards? The notion is that by putting cold cases on playing cards, perhaps it will jog some inmate’s memory. After all, how else would anyone be able to remember the unsolved murders and rapes they either know about or participated in? Sure, it might cause some inmate to use the opportunity to take revenge on someone who angered them, but Moody isn’t so cynical. Besides, it’s worked in other states, or so they say.

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.

But if revenge isn’t a motive, Moody has another incentive for the imprisoned to change their evil ways.

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

As Mario Machado noted, “what could possibly go wrong?” To be fair, without a witness coming forward, a great many serious and horrible crimes go unsolved. Forensics not only have their own problems, as Chris Halkides and others have kindly explained, but often fail to produce any useful information to ascertain the perpetrator of a crime. While people rail against the cops for their inability to “solve” serious crimes, much of which is well deserved and some of which is beyond their control, one can’t blame a prosecutor for trying something outside the box to take a very bad dude off the street.

While playing cards of crimes bears the odor of silliness and potential abuse, paying inmates for ratting someone out emits a far less pleasant odor. Some would do it for far less than $9,500, and many will lose no sleep for snitching on some rando, at best, or an enemy, at worst, for a sweet deposit in their commissary account.

And then add anonymity into this toxic mix and, well, problems could arise.

Granted, the nice folks inhabiting prisons are likely to know more about cold cases than law-abiding citizens. They could provide a rich resource to tap in order to finally close out those old cases. And it’s not as if giving some name alone will necessary solve any crime, there being a bit more investigation to ascertain that the tip is legit and the named perp could well be the killer.

But then, most cold cases are “solved” based on little more than witness testimony. Someone told someone in the can about a murder and that’s about as good as it gets. Even if the information falls short of a payout, it could generate a police investigation into an individual which could produce unintended consequences, whether that’s another crime or turning some guy’s life upside own.

And then there’s the cops gently knocking on the door to have a chat with snitchee, who has no clue why the police suddenly want to be his besties, and his actions make police fear for their lives with extreme prejudice.

Solving cold cases isn’t a bad thing, and it’s hard to blame an enterprising prosecutor for trying. But even well-intended efforts can go awry with horrible unintended consequences. Playing cards aren’t great, but they also aren’t terrible. Paying $9,500 for anon wannabe rats, on the other hand, has far too much downside to be shrugged off.