Research shows one of the most important ways to help people re-enter society after prison is maintaining relationships on the outside. A contract to offer free computer tablets to Connecticut prisoners could help, but criminal justice advocates have concerns about the terms.
Prisons had to restrict in-person visits during the pandemic, so inmates would need to turn to phone calls, video chats or emails to keep in touch with their families. Advocates said while the tablets themselves are free, the cost to use them is steep. And that includes giving up their privacy.
Inmates would be charged for emails and video calls, as well as movie purchases. The contract says the state makes 10 cents for every 30 cents an inmate pays to send an email.
Wanda Bertram, a spokesperson at the Prison Policy Institute in Western Massachusetts, said pandemic visiting restrictions make it difficult for loved ones to keep in touch.
“They are desperate to know whether their loved ones in prison are healthy and they are doing everything that they can in order to provide moral support. And when you take that and you attach a price tag to it, not only is that cruel at a time like this, you are effectively introducing a regressive tax on the poorest people in the state,” Bertram said.
Bertram said prisoners should also be informed about tablet privacy policies, too. She said the state contract with the company offering the tech says communications on the tablets do not fall under attorney-client privilege.
The state Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to requests for comment.