Most Missouri prison inmates have been given electronic tablets and they must buy content that can go on them, including educational materials, music, movies, and games.
State Department of Corrections Director Anne Precythe tells Missourinet the tablets do not have cameras or outside internet access.
The Missouri prison system has been dealing with a possible record 800 correctional officer vacancies – leading to safety issues within the prison walls. Precythe says other states have reported the tablets have helped to drastically reduce the number of assaults in prison.
Tablets have been handed out to most of Missouri’s prison population of 30,500. A company is giving away the tablets to offenders who want them and will make money through prisoners buying content, including music, movies, games and educational materials.
The department is also working on a tablet-based college program. Precythe says the tablets do not have cameras or outside internet access, but offenders can email, for a fee, through a closely-monitored system.
