Bureau of Prisons to give all federal inmates tablets for education
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Federal inmates will receive their own tablets to use for educational and career advancement, according to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
BOP on Wednesday announced It said it signed a tablet services contract that “will significantly modernize the agency’s approach to communications, training, rehabilitation and daily operations at its facilities across the country.”
The BOP also said inmates “will be provided access to secure messaging and video services to help them maintain healthy relationships with their loved ones, an important factor proven to reduce recidivism.”
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Inmate David Class poses for a portrait with a program and training tablet provided by the Massachusetts Department of Corrections Department of Corrections. (Boston Globe via Craig F. Walker/Getty Images)
According to the announcement, the tablets will be available to all prisoners under BOP custody. Yes More than 138,000 prisoners in federal prisons.
“Our first priority is the safety of our staff and institutions,” said BOP Director William K. Marshall III. “This contract streamlines outdated operations, reduces administrative burdens, and allows staff to focus on critical work such as maintaining safe facilities while expanding opportunities for rehabilitation and successful reentry.”
The tablets will assist inmates with literacy support, evidence-based rehabilitation programs, faith-based materials, health care information and job readiness content, officials said.
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Inmates Christopher Merced (left) and David Class demonstrate different uses of a program and training tablet provided by the Massachusetts Department of Corrections Department of Corrections. (Boston Globe via Craig F. Walker/Getty Images)
Tablets will also reduce the administrative burden on staff by moving traditionally paper-dependent tasks, such as commissary orders and schedule registration, to a digital platform.
BOP emphasized that the devices will be rolled out in phases across the vast prison network and that each application will be guided by “strict security protocols and oversight.”
The timeline for distribution is unclear. Fox News has reached out to BOP for further comment.
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Nearly every state prison system now has some form of tablet program, although scope, vendor, features, and rollout model vary widely. Only a dozen states had tablets in prisons in 2019, report finds Law360.
This stock image shows the interior of a cell block and common area in a state prison. (iStock)
Oregon is the latest state to implement a model in which each prisoner will receive his or her own tablet.
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In April, the state’s Department of Corrections said one of its main motivations for doing so was to reduce drug smuggling into prisons through the mail.
Once the program is fully operational, authorities will scan inmates’ mail and send it to them via their tablets, cutting off their ability to receive illegal packages while behind bars. Oregon DOC said In June.
