Commissary contract includes tablets for county inmates

Sept. 04--Muskogee County inmates will have tablets during their stay in jail beginning later this year after a new vendor steps in to provide commissary services.

Sheriff Rob Frazier said the devices will provide prisoners access to the law library and educational programs. Inmates will have no access to social media or other outside contacts through the "indestructible" devices, which Frazier said will be provided by Commissary Express

"Every inmate will be allowed to use that tablet for a certain amount of time for free," Frazier said, citing one of the revenue-generating components of the contract approved this past week by county commissioners. "When they're done they can purchase additional time like on an hourly or daily basis."

Inmates have legal right to conduct research and assist with the defense in their cases. Frazier said demand for access to the law library is high and sometimes creates problems when it comes to staffing the jail.

While the idea of providing access to technology like tablets might seem counterintuitive to some, a number of pilot programs have proven successful, and studies have shown education attainment tends to reduce recidivism

California corrections officials reported inmates took advantage of one such program to obtain high school diplomas and others completed court-ordered programs while serving sentences. The tablets also have been proven to be more cost-effective and secure than standard textbooks used for GED courses or other educational offerings.

Features built in to the tablets, which have been modified for use in jails and prisons, are designed to increase security within the facilities. And Frazier said inmates who are occupied by something they consider productive is more conducive to a less disruptive environment.

Frazier said Commissary Express will provide other services that have been unavailable here in the past. He said the Texas-based company hopes to expand its market and wants "to use Muskogee County jail as a model, and we're going to be guinea pigs, if you will, with these tablets, which have been successful in Texas."

Reach D.E. Smoot at (918) 684-2901 or dsmoot@muskogeephoenix.com.

___

(c)2017 the Muskogee Phoenix (Muskogee, Okla.)

Visit the Muskogee Phoenix (Muskogee, Okla.) at muskogeephoenix.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.