Tablets changing jailhouse culture

Cape Girardeau County jail administrator Richard Rushin has had the better part of a year to assess the merits of digital tablets for the 240-plus inmates in the facility he oversees.

Last February, the Cape Girardeau County Commission approved a contract to receive tablets for all its inmates, at no cost to the county. The tablets create revenue for companies to supply them at no cost to taxpayers.

Rushin said the tablets are working well for everyone -- the jail, the jailers and the inmates.

The revenue generated through the tablets is enough for the private company, Securus, to split the revenue with the county jail.

In the meantime, inmates can make voice calls, set up video calls, contact their attorneys, access books, music and movies. Inmates can even use the devices to attain their GED, he said

Rushin said the tablets help the jail staff more efficiently issue communications such as policy changes or notices directly to inmates. Inmates can file grievances through the devices.

The tablets have had a calming effect on the jail, Rushin said. He added that up to 90% of the inmates being held at the jail have not yet been found guilty of a crime, but are awaiting trial. He added that the tablets are a privilege for the incarcerated, one that can be pulled if the devices are abused.

So far, though, there have been no major problems, Rushin said.

Rushin said the contract allows for indigent inmates who don't have money to purchase upgrades, to use the tablets on a base level, which includes one video call and one regular call per week for free. Inmates can have private conversations, Rushin said, with their attorneys on the tablets. They also receive their regular mail through the devices. Paper mail is scanned in by Securus employees and delivered to the jail for approval. Once the mail is approved, the mail is delivered to the inmates.

Others who have money can purchase benefits such as music and movies; they can also buy more calls and communications. He said the tablets operate on a restricted secure network, so prisoners cannot surf the internet or post on social media.

"You can see the heartbeat and the pulse of the jail change once we got them in here," Rushin said. "They play cards and checkers, but now we see more inmates reading and listening music. That takes the edge off. We do provide TVs, but everyone has to watch the same channel. Now if you've got a little bit of money, you can rent or buy a song. I think they (inmates) appreciate it, and it gives them things to do to help" break the monotony. A set of ear buds is supplied with each tablet.

The tablets are heavy-duty, designed to withstand a drop of 20 to 30 feet. The contract also provides a full-time Securus employee who troubleshoots and addresses technical problems with the tablets or servers. Rushin said the tablets and servers run smoothly throughout the week, and the Securus staffer has trained weekend jail staffers on basic system troubleshooting.

Because of the video call feature, Cape Girardeau County Jail, like many other such facilities, has eliminated in-person visitation to inmates.

The contract paid $100,000 upfront to the county, and then guaranteed about $218,000 per year, based on a daily population of 240 inmates. The jail is expanding; when construction is finished, the jail will be able to house 540 inmates, many of whom will be federal inmates.

The revenue is a small portion of the jail's overall budget, but it helps, Rushin said. The revenue goes back to the jail for items such as new mattresses and materials for the inmates.

Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson said the ability to digitize mail helps cut down on problems and improve security regarding contraband.

She added inmates can also purchase supplies, such as soaps and shampoo and other toiletry items. Such orders used to take place in the middle of the pod, which would reduce privacy for the inmates.

Dickerson and Rushin both reiterated that the tablets are privileges that can be taken away. Dickerson said the jail is still a place where inmates' movements are restricted, and it's rigid.

"If they've got their mind busy, there are fewer problems," she said.

Securus, as of last February, had an arrangement for tablets with 3,400 jails or prisons across the country, according to previous reporting in the Southeast Missourian.

Some criminal justice reform advocates have criticized the use of the digital system to prevent inmates from receiving paper mail, citing a potential lack of confidentiality and a dehumanizing aspect of not having mail to hold and keep. The company has also been criticized for charging exorbitant fees for calls.

In recent years, Securus has paid millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements after claims it recorded thousands of inmates' attorney-client phone conversations and shared the calls with prosecutors. The company denied it shared information intentionally, saying that attorneys' phone numbers were incorrectly entered into the system. The company has stated it has instituted more safeguards to protect attorney-client conversations.