if so, he could just escape jail, but should be quick to do a new trade and get a ring before they catch him again empty-handed!

IMHO The same way we were when technology let us see realistic images of our dead relatives, hear things they said before they died, and even watch those images in movement with the sound; no one thinks these replace dead relatives or give experiences with them (other than the personal experience of seeing photos/videos or hearing recordings and remembering/projecting other things).