In a prisoners’ dilemma, two criminals are arrested and put in jail cells far apart from each other. They are allowed to communicate with each other through a window. Each prisoner has the option to cooperate with the other prisoner or not. If they both cooperate, they can both get away with the crime and be released back into the community. However, if one prisoner cooperates and the other prisoner doesn’t, then the cooperating prisoner will be charged with a crime and the other prisoner will go free.

What is a Prisoners’ Dilemma?

A Prisoners’ Dilemma is a situation in which two criminals are arrested and put in jail cells far apart from each other. They are allowed to communicate with each other through a window. Each prisoner has the option to cooperate with the other prisoner or not.

If they both cooperate, they can both get away with the crime and be released back into the community. However, if one prisoner cooperates and the other prisoner doesn’t, then the cooperating prisoner will be charged with a crime and the other prisoner will go free.

How Does it Work?

The cooperating prisoner will first have to convince the other prisoner to trust them. Once the other prisoner trusts them, they will then have to decide what to do.

If the cooperating prisoner decides to betray the other prisoner, they will be charged with a crime and the other prisoner will go free.

What Are the Benefits of Cooperating?

If the cooperating prisoner cooperates, they will get away with the crime without getting caught. They will also have a better chance of getting released back into the community sooner.

What Are the Benefits of Not Cooperating?

If the cooperating prisoner decides not to cooperate, they will get caught and will likely be sentenced to more time in prison. They will also have a worse chance of getting released back into the community sooner.

What Are the Benefits of Not Cooperating?

If the cooperating prisoner decides not to cooperate, they will have a better chance of getting released back into the community sooner. They will also have a worse chance of getting caught.

Prisoners Dilemma In A Nutshell

In a prisoners’ dilemma, it is in both prisoners’ best interests to cooperate with each other. However,  if one prisoner decides to betray the other, they can end up with a worse outcome.