Tablets in Prison Benefits Vs. Risks

Considering the havoc cell phones have wreaked in correctional facilities, it may seem counterintuitive to allow inmates to have computer tablets since they are in many ways two sides of the same coin. Nevertheless, the trend in many facilities has been to allow or even encourage inmates to at least have access to the devices.

In fact, corrections officials in South Carolina, who for years have pushed for cell phone jamming technology in correctional facilities, are providing inmates with tablets. In early 2019, Corrections Director Bryan Stirling told the Associated Press that the tablets will be part of a technology program that officials hope will stem the flow of phones into prisons. The tablets allow inmates to call home at a cheaper rate than current phone calling programs and will provide access to pre-loaded educational materials as well as pre-approved

streaming movie and music services. The intention is that the tablets will make the idea of a smuggled-in cell phone less attractive. "This will go directly to that cellphone problem," he notes.

Jade Trombetta, vice president, Marketing and Media Relations at Securus Technologies, says, “Tablet technology is transformative. The handheld devices have the ability to bring hope to incarcerated individuals and change the trajectory of their lives. Securus offers life-improving applications on the devices including Email (eCard and photo attachments), Lantern Education, KA Lite videos, JobView, Securus phone app, VideoGrams, games, Newstand, movies, podcasts, and eBooks.” (The SecureView and JP5 tablets offered to offenders are not currently being used for videoenabled calls due to security risks; however, a popular communication option on the JP5 tablets is the 30-second VideoGram.)

“Family and friends can share footage of special moments with their incarcerated loved one that is stored on the tablets for future viewing,” she points out. “In most locations, incarcerated individuals can also send VideoGrams to their family and friends as well. Additionally, in some locations, incarcerated individuals can make phone calls from their tablets using the Securus phone app. The option to place phone calls in living quarters not only increases engagement between incarcerated individuals and their loved ones, but it also reduces lines at the stationary telephones.”

Who’s Using What and How? Over the past decade, says Trombetta, “The corrections industry has transitioned from antiquated systems to innovative technology solutions.” Corrections-grade tablets helped

The JP5 tablet can be loaded with the Lantern Education app, shown here.

drive this modernization, and early integrators have served as case studies substantiating the devices as being environmentimproving and as a successful reentry tool. “Facilities looking to adopt tablet technology are eager to do so because the benefits are undeniable, including increased efficiencies, reduction of paper waste, reduced infractions, improved morale and the opportunity to give incarcerated individuals hope through increased communication with loved ones and access to much-needed education.”

The appeal is easy to see, and the use of tablets in corrections has been growing. Prison officials say that allowing inmates a device can help maintain order in cellblocks. Tablets can also help inmates advance their education, connect with loved ones, read, order supplies from the commissary, and even prepare them for immersion into the technologysavvy world upon release. In June 2019, Montana State Prison began issuing tablets to inmates to increase access to educational and other resources that promote appropriate behavior and reduce recidivism. Only tablets approved and assigned by the administrator are allowed for use by inmates within the facility. Access to tablets is only available when issuance does not interfere with the safety, security, and orderly functioning of the facility, and they are stripped of any ability that would allow unrestricted access to the Internet.

Trombetta notes, “Securus is proud to have the largest tablet footprint in the country, serving many agencies that provide tablets to their population at no cost to the incarcerated individuals.” She points out that studies show the impact tablet technology has on reducing recidivism rates, so her firm works with partners offering the no-cost model or affordable pricing options. “As the industry continues to evolve and reform, we believe tablet technology will be adopted by even more state prisons and county jails. The devices are vital tools that put education, communication, self-help and re-entry tools into the hands of incarcerated individuals, so they are bet

ter prepared for success upon release.” They intend to continue expanding their suite of communication, media, education and re-entry offerings available on the tablets and work with existing and new customers to ensure they are leveraging the benefits of handheld devices to improve the lives of inmates.

According to the National Institute of Justice, beginning in December 2015, the sheriff’s department of Pima County, Arizona (Tucson), conducted a six-month pilot program. The program tested the durability and security of tablets as well as the WiFi. Trial inmates were instructed to attempt to breach the security, which they were not able to do. Once administration trusted that the tablets were secure, they were distributed to all inmates. If an inmate misbehaves, the tablet is revoked for a period of time.

This tactic has been found to be an incentive for reducing inmate misconduct. The department has also noticed a 50% decrease in suicides, fights, and altercations with staff. Inmates are provided access to anger man

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, nearly 80% of inmates return to prison within five years. However, associate degree holders return at a rate of 13.7%, bachelor degree holders return at a rate of 5.6%, and those with a master’s degree return at a rate of essentially 0%.

agement programs and employment training via a secure intranet. For a monthly fee, they can stream music. They can exchange emails that cost about 25 cents for 2,000 characters and call family members for 20 cents a minute through a secure, monitored server.

Family members are unable to call an inmate; however, they can leave a short message for an inmate to call them at a certain time. Inmates also have free access to an electronic law library as well as hundreds of e-books. They can use their tablets to request medical care and complete paperwork for court. The vendor provided free tablets to the department and installed servers and WiFi. The vendor kept all revenue generated from tablet use for the first year, which is now shared with the county.

In a July 2019 press release, the Pinal County, Arizona, Sheriff’s Office (Florence) announced a partnership with a vendor that will bring tablet technology to inmates at the Adult Detention

Center, which houses about 500 inmates a day, with the intention to prepare those incarcerated with skills for a successful future. Inmates are now able to use tablets for education purposes and to gain new skills while they are incarcerated as well as message and mail apps. “With tablets, inmates can stay in touch with family and keep their minds pre-occupied with educational and religious programming. We expect that it will help with behavior,” said Sheriff Mark Lamb, who says the tablets occupy inmates’ time in productive ways and allow them to have access to certain opportunities. “We hope this will help inmates better their lives while they are in our custody. Our population is working with educators in our jail. They now have the opportunity to get a GED. We hope it will help with recidivism and make them more employable.”

Educational offerings are the top interest of facility leadership, but other offerings include games to distract from gang politics, managing stress, learning life skills, and how being drugfree will benefit offenders. The PCSO also believes having a support system is a good way for offenders to get back on the right path, so being able to keep in touch with their children and loved ones is important. The tablets allow inmates to make phone calls, providing a better opportunity to stay in touch. Regular communication also helps reduce stress in the jail population. Studies have found that inmates maintaining relationships with their loved ones reduces recidivism.

Much like South Carolina, the threat of contraband is one reason why the PCSO looked for an alternative to regular mail. Fentanyl is becoming more and more prevalent, and in synthetic form it is sold as a powder, which can go airborne and be inhaled and put officers inspecting paper mail at risk. (The facility still receives some paper mail such as money orders and items for the law library.) Inmates are aware

that their activities and all forms of conversations are monitored, which is standard practice at all facilities.

The move is not only an American one. Hong Kong has been studying the concept of allowing inmates to have tablets that would grant inmates access to e-books, e-learning, radio, and allow them to email family, friends, lawyers, and officials during leisure hours. Contents would be screened before being sent out. The devices can also be used to collect data such as behavioral patterns for analysis.

Education is a key focal point in issuing tablets to inmates. The American Prison Data Systems (APDS), which brings “the transformative power of the digital revolution to correctional facilities by delivering individualized inmate education, job training, rehabilitation, and reentry plans” states that tablets are not only safe and secure but also improve outcomes for students and improve security in correctional institutions. They report that their tablets have had over 9 million hours of inmate use without safety and security incidents. They further that educational outcomes were vastly improved. Learners using the devices are twice as likely to pass the GED as non-users, and APDS devices improved reading comprehension by four grade levels in nine months of use. Reentry plan completion rates have increased by 70%.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, nearly 80% of inmates return to prison within five years. That number decreases significantly, though, with degrees. Associate degree holders return at a rate of 13.7%, bachelor degree holders return at a rate of 5.6%, and those with a master’s degree return at a rate of essentially 0%. An Australian study noted that data have consistently found that prisoners who undertake education while in prison are less likely to return to prison; however, in an environment in which post-sec

ondary education is increasingly being offered online, prisoners without access to the Internet encounter barriers to education offered by non-prison providers. A study conducted by Rand found that adult correctional education improves outcomes once an inmate is released. Inmates who participated in education programs had a 43% lower chance of recidivating than those who did not. Providing correctional education can also be costeffective when it comes to reducing recidivism. The odds of obtaining employment after release was 13% higher for inmates who participated in correctional education.

Trombetta notes that while pen-and-paper classroom sessions are valuable, the number of students able to participate is limited. Lantern was launched in 2016 as the first digital education program specifically created to enable correctional education on a large scale. Since then, the offering has expanded into five states, helping more than 143,000 inmates receive post-secondary education via tablet technology. While incarcerated, students can enroll in Lantern through Second Chance Pell Grants to earn college degrees. They can also use tablets to access numerous no-cost educational offerings such as GED prep courses or view KA Lite videos to learn or enhance basic skills such as math. “The level of education varies, supporting the variable needs of those incarcerated.”

As with everything, there are caveats and criticisms of tablet programs. A 2019 Prison Policy Initiative investigation found that some of the “free contracts” come loaded with fees and guarantee the Department of Corrections a portion of tablet revenue, allow tablet providers to alter the prices of services—such as email, music and money transfer—without state approval, and allow providers to terminate tablet services if the tablets aren’t profitable enough.

Naturally, with computer technology, some degree of risk is also likely inevitable. In the summer of 2018, inmates at the Idaho Department of Corrections were caught exploiting a vulnerability in their prison-issued tablets, which allowed them to manipulate the credits they used to buy games and music. (The vulnerability has since been resolved and the theft was from the provider and not taxpayer dollars.)

Says Trombetta, “Putting tablet technology into the hands of incarcerated individuals has both benefits and risks; however, it is Securus’ belief that the benefits outweigh the risks. There is no hardware, network or software that is immune from manipulation with enough time, effort and contraband access; however, as a company that has led the industry in tablet innovation, we are committed to minimizing those risks to the best extent possible and ensure that tablet usage in correctional environments is as safe and secure as possible.” ✪