Jackson County inmates use educational tablets under new program

Some inmates at the Jackson County Jail are now able to take advantage of a new educational tablet program at no cost to them or taxpayers.

Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum said the program went active on Thursday, Feb. 27.

 

Pay Tel Communications, Inc., has made about 100 of its inteleTABLET™ available to inmates to use for GED preparation and other educational purposes while those inmates serve out their sentences. The educational program was specifically designed to decrease facility violence, increase educational attainment and reduce recidivism, according to Mangum.

 

The program is offered as part of the Pay Tel inmate telephone contract, and according to company officials, the tablets are specifically designed for use in jails and strictly control inmate tablet activity, eliminating any security concerns. Inmates may also use the tablet's phone application to make calls or send messages to friends and family at the normal rate for such services. 

 

Mangum said the tablets will allow inmates to get a head start on civilian life once they've finished serving out their time behind bars, pointing out that some of the course offered through the program will be GED preparation, auto mechanics and religious studies. by taking courses, inmates can earn access to entertainment features on the system. 

 

"I always say to our staff that everyone who is in jail are not bad people, but they made a choice that put them there, Mangum said. "We will be assisting them in having access to programs that they may not have had access to, and it’s free of charge."

 

The tablets operate on a secure internal network which strictly controls inmate access to the provided content. The Pay Tel inteleTABLET™ also provides numerous administrative applications for routine jail functions, saving staff time, and facilitating access to all inmates, according to press information released by the sheriff's office.