Oklahoma prison inmate tablet program a 'rip off' or a valuable tool? Depends on who you ask

A few years after the first tablets were issued to Oklahoma prison inmates, the program is receiving a mixed reception.

Some question the effectiveness of the initiative and whether the costs inmates have to pay for access are reasonable. But supporters say the program assists inmates in navigating some of the complexities of reentry into society and helps the Department of Corrections cut down on contraband and illicit activity behind bars.

Over 80% of the approximately 21,500 inmates currently incarcerated in state prisons have been issued a tablet, said Jason Sparks, the Department of Corrections chief of operations.

The project first began in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic as a pilot initiative when access to programs and other activities was shut down to protect the inmates.

Today, inmates can use the tablets to communicate with family, attend programs, obtain legal assistance and access movies, educational programs and books.

Inmates will also soon be able to schedule medical and dental appointments and file grievances on their tablets, Sparks said.

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Corrections officials use the tablets to help control what inmates access, Sparks said.

“With a contraband cell phone, they have access to the entire internet,” he said. “We are unable to control anything.”

While it is still possible for an offender to reach out to a victim or participate in fraud using the devices, Sparks said the agency has not found a security issue with offenders using the devices.

He also said no taxpayer dollars are involved. The tablets are funded through the contract with the agency’s prison phone vendor, he said.

But not all are pleased with the initiative.

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“I thought it was a rip off,” said Darrell L. Wiggins, who was recently released after serving decades in Oklahoma prisons.

For years, inmate families have complained about the cost of talking by phone to someone behind bars.

Inmates or family and friends pay a $3 connection fee and 14 cents a minute for U.S. and North American calls.

Emily Shelton is founder and director of the nonprofit Hooked on Justice, a criminal justice reform organization. Her husband and son are both incarcerated.

The phone and tablet systems are expensive to use, she said.

Sometimes it takes a week for an email to get through, she said, but texts go through.

The tablets also sometimes don’t work, she said.

She said it costs 25 cents to send an email. A $3 surcharge is added when people buy the “stamps” to send the email. The surcharge is required regardless of how many stamps are purchased, she said.

Sending a picture costs 25 cents, but the fee is not refunded if the inmate is denied access to the photo.

“It is a rip off,” Shelton said, adding that the texts are limited to a few lines.

Kris Steele, a criminal justice reform advocate and executive director of The Education and Employment Ministry, believes the project is beneficial.

“I think that an opportunity for prisoners to have a tablet and communicate does nothing but help them reenter the community,” Steele said.

Sparks, with DOC, said he believes the project will ultimately reduce the state’s recidivism rate, which is 16.68%, inmate idleness and violence behind bars.

Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on Facebook and Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Costs, effectiveness of OK inmate tablet program questioned