Five years after digital tablets were introduced in Delaware correctional facilities, each inmate will now have their own device.
The Delaware Department of Correction (DOC) has deployed more than 4,000 new digital tablets to meet a one-to-one tablet to inmate ratio after a successful pilot program with ViaPath that began in 2019.
When tablets first entered Delaware prisons, an average of six inmates were required to share one tablet, which Commissioner Terra Taylor says often caused conflict.
The tablets primarily serve as a communication tool for inmates with their loved ones, allowing them to exchange written communication and receive photos from family and friends for a fee.
But now, Taylor explains the devices also offer free rehabilitative programming, education courses and job training.
“We believe that these interactions will not only enhance relationships but will also support mental health and emotional well-being which are vital components to effective rehabilitation," she said.
Community Corrections Treatment Center inmate George Brinkley says while the tablet's communication capabilities have been a game changer for him and his family, he has also been grateful for the job skills courses the devices provide.
“My family lives all the way in Sussex County — they don't wanna keep driving all the way over here to visit me. I could just see them on a video visit or I could just talk to them through the tablet or through the phone, and I got my education. I got a lot of certificates on here that the jobs outside [are] looking for somebody to have," Brinkley said.
Brinkley is particularly excited to utilize his culinary certificate when he reenters the workforce.
He says he’s also found value in utilizing the device’s law library, which allows him to research court cases and information related to his probation.
Free resources on the devices represent 50% of all tablet activity, with library access being the most popular app over the past 12 months with over 22 million minutes of use.
DOC reports since one-to-one tablet ratios have been implemented across all correctional facilities, 68% of all phone calls were made through the tablets.
The tablets were deployed at no cost to Delaware taxpayers, but inmates and their loved ones do pay for phone calls, messaging and entertainment access like games, music streaming and movies.
DOC explains the tablets do not provide access to the internet and tablet communications are subject to monitoring to support safety and security.
