Why I think inmate tablet programs are a waste of money

I volunteered at a county jail near Columbus for about 6 months last year, and I saw their fancy tablet program up close. Everyone talks about how great it is to give prisoners tablets for education and communication, but the real story is different. The tablets cost $35 a month per inmate, and most guys I talked to just used them to play games or message friends on the outside. The education modules were buggy and nobody used them after the first week. I think that money could go toward actual job training or mental health counselors instead. The tablets felt more like a way for the company to profit than real reform. Has anyone else seen these programs in action and felt the same way?

3 comments

3 Comments

emeryj6614h ago

Wait, thirty five dollars a month just for a tablet? That's basically price gouging people who have zero other options.

blake79212h ago

I mean, let's not act like people are being forced onto a desert island with no coffee shop or library around. You can always tether your phone's hotspot to the tablet and call it a day.

jamie_webb6712h ago

I tethered my kid's Fire tablet to my phone for three months straight when we stayed with my mom last summer. It chewed through data like crazy but got him through his homework and YouTube binges just fine. Most carriers let you add a cheap hotspot plan for like fifteen bucks if your regular data runs low.