To help inmates prepare for their return to their homes, the Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) https://corrections.utah.gov provided tablets to 22 inmates in a pilot program at the Utah State prison. UDC is contracting with and working with American Prison Data Systems https://apdscorporate.com, a corporation contracting with more than 40 correctional facilities across the U.S.
The plan is to give people a head start on their releases and reentry by providing targeted educational, rehabilitation, and reentry plans. The tablets are pre-loaded with individualized educational materials, treatment plans, housing information, employment options, and educational libraries. An app called Pokket allows action items such as reporting dates and treatment appointments to be sent to their supervisors.
Utah’s tablet pilot will equip the inmates with personalized plans to prepare them for reintegration. This pilot program is the first that will allow the individuals to keep the tablet after release in order to maintain a smoother reentry.
The tablets operate on a secure, private, wireless network engineered by network developers used by Homeland Security. Data is maintained and stored in a high security data center plus inmates will have tightly controlled access to electronic communication and will not be able to reach any person or site that has not been pre-approved.
The tablets for the pilot are about $500 each which includes all content, network security, and military grade casing needed to prevent tampering and to ensure security.