Some prisons and jails offer tablet programs that enable inmates to send and receive electronic communications with third-party vendors. Such services must be reviewed and monitored by correctional staff for security purposes.
Mailroom workers digitize letters and pictures sent from outside prison walls and send digital files of these correspondences directly to prison inmates for viewing on tablets – at an extremely reasonable cost compared to other forms of communication.
How it Works
Inmates can communicate electronically with family and friends on the outside using safe and secure messaging software that is accessible 24/7/365. Inmates purchase message credits to send outgoing messages and receive responses from contacts; rates depend on both state and facility, with credits purchased with either debit or credit cards. Five cents is also charged per minute to use tablet computers to compose and read electronic mails – making communication difficult between family and friends behind bars.
These systems also come with restrictions and fees that are unnecessarily high, such as character limits on e-messaging services that prevent people incarcerated from writing full letters; additionally, some services charge fees for outgoing messages sent, or limit how long someone can remain logged into them.
E-messaging companies make money from two sources when providing this service: once from those outside who send messages and again when an inmate reads them. This dual profiting model can be particularly problematic for incarcerated people who often have lower literacy levels and take longer to respond. TextBehind offers an alternative: our app enables family and friends to send photos, greeting cards, drawings or drawings directly into prison where our company processes these messages before sending them directly onto an offender’s tablet computer – regardless of location.
Costs
Inmates utilize electronic messaging services like SmartInmate’s electronic messaging services in order to stay in contact with loved ones while behind bars. Similar to email, this system allows the transfer of photos and attachments. Furthermore, this method is much quicker and cheaper than sending traditional mail; friends and families can purchase message credits via its website and transfer them directly into an inmate’s account.
Advocacy groups such as Prison Policy Initiative are warning that, despite federal regulations designed to cap prison phone rates, those incarcerated are still being overcharged for essential communication services. While price caps on telephone calls have received more media coverage, companies have turned their profit-making strategies toward other technologies, such as text-based e-messaging or tablets as profit centers.
As with telephone services, costs associated with e-messaging vary by state and facility. Two corporations, Securus and Global Tel*Link, control 81% of prison e-messaging market. Their pricing schemes – bulk pricing with attachment fee per message as well as flat fee for accessing it – have been widely criticized; while certain prison systems charge flat rates to access e-messaging; length limitations make longer messages more expensive than expected.
Like email, electronic messaging for prisoners typically charges a fee per message sent, creating a significant financial strain for families supporting an incarcerated loved one and protecting them from further danger. Furthermore, this cost structure makes it hard to assess whether companies are making the return on investments made in proprietary systems and inferior technology.
Safety
Many jails and prisons utilize secure messaging systems or inmate communication apps that enable approved contacts to send messages directly to inmates. These systems typically operate on an isolated network that is monitored by correctional staff; additionally, inmates themselves can access these apps using kiosks in the facility.
Communication apps between family and loved ones of inmates are an effective way to stay in contact. Unfortunately, however, inmate communication apps may also be misused by criminals to intimidate victims into silence – as was evidenced when one criminal in Yakima County Jail used their tablet device to send harassing texts that threatened, blackmailed and demanded money from one victim in particular. His account was eventually suspended shortly thereafter and police officials are advocating for changes to prevent future incidents like this from occurring again.
The jail’s Message Link program enables inmates to access educational programming, entertainment options and texting with friends and family on the outside for a fee. While the program has proven its success for the jail, police officials have expressed concern that domestic violence offenders may use it to send threats against victims using abusive messages sent over this service.
Family or friends of an inmate can also send electronic letters directly to them while in custody, through a company that scans each letter into digital files for electronic delivery to an inmate on a tablet computer. This service is more cost-effective than traditional mail as no stamp or visit to a photo print shop is necessary.
Privacy
As correctional facilities increasingly rely on technology for daily processes, one area remains paper-heavy: the mailroom. Additionally, many correctional facilities offer electronic messaging services which enable inmates to stay in touch with approved contacts electronically via computer kiosks or tablets within the facility.
E-messaging providers gather two types of sensitive information from users: personal details such as names and addresses as well as payment card data; as well as message content. Unfortunately, little has been said by these companies regarding how they protect and use this data – most contracts include lengthy “click-through terms of service” documents that appear written with one eye on benefiting the company rather than individuals using its services.
Uncertainty surrounds these electronic messaging services is also apparent; prison email providers sometimes make their servers accessible outside of correctional institutions, potentially increasing data vulnerability and potentially being used by criminals to send in contraband into prisons – something which may prove deadly for prisoners inside.
Correctional facilities should require that e-messaging providers present their privacy policies to the public, which should explain where their information is stored, how long it remains on servers, who has access to it and if a breach occurs. Correctional facilities must also allow competing providers to offer apps through tablet systems which will bring prices down while improving functionality.