Slashdot Mirror
Indiana's Inmates Could Soon Have Access To Tablets (abc57.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from ABC57 News in South Bend, Indiana: Indiana is looking to help offenders who are behind bars. Soon, each inmate in the Hoosier state could have their own tablet. The Indiana Department of Correction says the tablet will help inmates stay connected with their families and improve their education. Offenders will be able to use the tablets to access any classwork, self-help materials or entertainment. Officials expect to use entertainment, like music or movies, to reward good behavior. The proposal was first filed in January. Apple iPad's or kindles won't be used. Instead, a company that makes tablets specifically for prisons or jails will be hired. One San Francisco based-company they may consider, Telmate, has a device that is used in more than 20 states, including some jails in Marshall County. INDOC is hoping a vendor will front the costs of the entertainment apps so taxpayers won't have to. INDOC also says it wants to avoid charging inmate fees because charging fees that they can't afford would defeat the purpose of the system. If the company selected pays, the vendor would be reimbursed and still earn a profit.
I know the get tough on crime crowd will be throwing a massive shit-fit, but if you can give them something to occupy their time, it might be less shit going down in there.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
They operate on cost plus contracts, with practically unlimited access to tax payer funds. If some court somewhere rules "inmates must have access to gym equipment", they could build a 2 million dollar gym in the prison and mop up 20% of it or build 20K gym and get 20% of that. Which one would they choose?
These prison companies charge 2 $ a minute for a phone call. Yes, in this day and age of unlimited voice and data, voice calls out of prison costs the inmates or their families 2$ a minute. Do you think this new fangled tablets are going to provided to them at reasonable costs you and I pay outside the prisons? You have not seen the twinkling dollar signs in the eyes of prison management executives.
The prison companies pressure judges to use harsh prison sentences using social media and slanted local news coverage. Lobby the legislators for minimum sentencing guidelines. Encourage law suites that will increase the cost of incarceration. More it costs, more is their margin! They also actually bribe judges to be harsh. Only a few judges like the one in Wilkes-Barry PA got caught, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.
We have to outlaw private sector prisons. It is a crying shame USA has the highest incarceration rate in the world and adding insult to injury we are paying through our noses for it.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
I saw another article about this a month ago.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ne...
They may be able to customize how locked down they are depending on the facility where they're used.
In this article they pay 5 cents a minute.
Inmates can text and call up to 10 contacts who must be screened and approved by the company. Telmate monitors and stores data on the inmates’ communications, providing the information to investigator
Better article:
http://cbs6albany.com/news/loc...
Inmates can't surf the web on the devices but they are allowed to talk to or text up to 10 contacts. The sheriff says Telmate, the company that created the tablet software, checks those people out before any communication occurs.
“As well as vetting the person they look for buzzwords, encrypted messages trying to come through,” Apple said.
[1] Is it to punish Bad Guys, said punishment being a deterrent to keep all those not-quite Bad Guys from taking the plunge?
[2] Is it to protect the populace, keeping Bad Guys off the streets?
[3] Or is it to rehabilitate Bad Guys, transform them into Good Guys?
[4] All of the above.
If it's [1] or [2], ditch the iPads and stack 'em up like cordwood. If it's [3], give 'em all iPads and teach 'em web design (the modern equivalent of making license plates), but don't call it 'prison,' because words mean something. It seems to me the justice system blurs all these distinctions into a muddy and costly mess.
Prisons actually serve all three purposes, they serve as deterrents against crime, isolation of criminals and for rehabilitation of criminals. Most western countries tend to emphasise the latter but we still call them prisons.
By and large I agree with rehabilitating criminals as much as possible, however there are cases where all we can do is keep them locked up. This does not mean we should stack them in like cordwood. Even if they're animals, we're not, so we maintain a minimal level of human rights if for no other reason than not to reduce ourselves to their level. However that's for rare cases. The majority of criminals are not in their for such heinous crimes so yes, we should do something to reduce recidivism rates. Giving them tablets is pretty much the same as any other kind of reward, just a more modern form of mail, library and phone privileges. It helps to prepare convicts for a life outside so they don't end up back inside.
It costs the UK tax payer GBP 65,000 per prisoner, even if they didn't work and lived off benefits we'd save 75% or more of what we pay to keep them locked up. So reducing recidivism has a compelling economic argument at the very least. Hell, if they held down a job paying the National Living Wage of GBP 7.50 an hour (14,625 per year on a 37.5 week), they'd actually contribute a little tax money.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
You missed a reason. A rather less noble reason, but still a real one.
[4] To satisfy the people's sense of justice by letting them see suffering inflicted upon those regarded as deserving suffering.