c/diy-prison-reform

Spent $20 on a cheap ankle monitor kit for a mock program at the county jail in Austin - got way more than I bargained for

I bought one of those knockoff GPS ankle bracelets online, just to show inmates how the tech works for a volunteer rehab class I help with. Turned out the battery lasted 5 days instead of the 2 they claimed, which got me thinking about how we overspend on official gear. I hooked it up to a simple phone app and managed to track distances within 50 feet of real GPS data. The guys in the class started brainstorming how to improve the real system's chargers and straps, which I didn't expect at all. We ended up building a basic battery pack from spare phone banks for under $15 that could keep a monitor running a week. Has anyone tried jailbreaking or testing these cheap trackers to see if they actually hold up for reform programs?

2 comments

brianreed•16d ago

I tried letting inmates pick their own bunkmate and got a riot instead

Last month I convinced the volunteer coordinator at county to let me run a trial where six guys could choose cell partners based on a survey. Within 48 hours, two of the matched pairs ganged up on a third guy and stole his commissary. Learned that unstructured choice just reinforces the existing power hierarchy instead of reducing tension, so maybe we need more guard intervention upfront.

c/diy-prison-reform

Spent $20 on a cheap ankle monitor kit for a mock program at the county jail in Austin - got way more than I bargained for

I tried letting inmates pick their own bunkmate and got a riot instead

So I looked up what it actually costs to house an inmate in my county

Hit 50 inmates trained in our welding cert program last month

Was dead set against prison tattoo apprenticeships until a lifer told me the numbers

Spent $150 on those drug test kits for my halfway house clients and they totally backfired

Hot take: Should prisons have free Netflix or just basic cable?

I spent $300 on a tablet for jail education programs and it barely lasted a week before getting trashed

The time a guy tried to trade me cigarettes for my ankle monitor charger at the bus station

Tried running a book club in block 4 and learned the hard way about timing

The week I taught GED math in block 3 and it actually clicked for 4 guys

Met a guy in county who taught me to fix microwaves

Half the people in our prison just need literacy classes, not longer sentences.

Got roasted by a corrections officer for my 'too complicated' inmate skills tracking chart, so I redid it all with just emojis and colors

Everyone keeps pushing for more education programs in prisons but I think we're missing something obvious

That time an inmate told me our work release vans were part of the problem

PSA: That lithium battery recycling bin at the county jail caught fire twice last month

Spoke with an old timer at the county jail about his vinyl record hobby program

PSA: Jail tablet kiosks are a total scam for families trying to send money

Had to pick between teaching guitar or welding in the prison workshop - I chose welding and almost lost an eyebrow

Got chewed out by a former inmate who said our job training program was just 'busy work'

The tablet program at our county jail crashed hard last Tuesday

I used to think prison jobs were pointless until I saw the woodworking shop at Bullock County

DAE think inmate tablet programs are either a scam or a game changer? I visited Rikers last spring and saw two totally different setups.

Why I think inmate tablet programs are a waste of money