For incarcerated journalist Greg Eskridge, the mark of the tablet computer’s influence is clearest on the bottom floor of his cell block at San Quentin State Prison.
He says as recently as April 2023, the floor was packed with 50 to 60 people, waiting in line to get a chance to make a 15-minute call on one of seven payphones. Arguments broke out when people left the line and then tried to get back in, or if they took someone else’s designated slot and cut in front.
The whole process yielded “a lot of frustration, a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress,” Eskridge said.
Now, the line at the bank of phones is gone and people can more often be found making calls in their cells or in the yard. That’s because everyone can make calls, for free, on their Android tablets — bigger than an iPhone but still handheld, with a thick plastic coating.
“It's just amazing how one small implementation of a device could just change the whole overall atmosphere of the building and the prison in general,” he said.
Since August 2021, California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has given out about 90,000 free tablets to people incarcerated across the state. Distribution is expected to be completed in the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo this month and to incarcerated firefighters in the near future.
The distribution builds on a tablet pilot program that started in 2018 and is in line with a shift toward rehabilitation in the system. This spring, Governor Gavin Newsom announced San Quentin will become the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, and be the first prison moving toward the “California Model”. California’s Legislative Analyst has deemed this plan underdeveloped, even while praising the administration’s goals.
Here are five things to know about the tablet program.
Not everything is ‘free’
Many aspects of the tablets are free — in addition to free calls, people have a limited number of free video calling minutes and text messages they can send. Plus, there are legal resources available, through the LexisNexis app, as well as meditation and religious text apps.
However, after the allotted free messages, incarcerated people and their contacts can expect to pay 5 cents per message sent and 20 cents per video call minute. In addition, people in prison could pay between $1.99 and $7.99 for more “premium” services, like music, movies and e-books.
Brian Thames is incarcerated at California State Prison Solano, and is a producer for the “Uncuffed” podcast, which is made in collaboration with public radio station KALW in San Francisco. He says he prefers texting his wife over waiting for a letter from her, but the messaging can get expensive.
“We run through money,” he said. “Those nickels add up for us. They turn into dollars daily.”
Thames estimates he spends about $50 per month on the tablet.
The tablets don’t provide access to internet browsing or social media
Although the tablets have up-to-date news and information for people who pay for access to news and magazines, they don’t have an internet browser. That means no social media, either.
Incarcerated people stay connected with those on the outside by adding them to their list of approved contacts and reaching them through the GettingOut Mail app.
Tablets are intended to support rehabilitation
Enhanced communication and bridging the digital divide have been priorities for criminal justice reform advocates for years. Some argue it’s necessary when programs aren’t available and that digital literacy is crucial for people when they are released and return to society.
Research also shows having more communication with close contacts is better, as long as it doesn’t impede in-person visitation.
“The enhanced communication project aims to strengthen the bonds between the incarcerated population with their families and communities,” the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says on its website.
For incarcerated journalist Tue Kha, at the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran, the tablet gave him an opportunity to hear from his estranged brother, who had recently come out as transgender.
“We came to terms that we understand each other, and that was great,” he said. “Now we are more connected and know each other more than we did before.”
Kha says he has also noticed, since the introduction of tablets, that the culture inside the facility has changed. He says stress, depression, and violence have noticeably decreased.
But … there might be downsides
When tablets were rolled out in other parts of the country, the nonprofit Prison Policy Initiative noted that states are often lax in protecting the prisoner consumer. In some cases, the tablets have been beleaguered with technological issues, like inconsistent messaging and call services.
Wanda Bertram, with the Prison Policy Initiative, adds that there's a possibility the tablets could slow down or eliminate the proliferation of in-person programs, counseling and educational opportunities in prisons.
“I think in states like California, where everyone is kind of ‘woo!’ about tech and personal technology, everyone's still kind of in that dream. There's a potential for tablets to be used for things that really should be delivered in person,” she said.
Greg Eskridge at San Quentin says he worries that the collegial and encouraging atmosphere that often thrived — pre-tablet — is falling by the wayside.
“At one point you can walk around in here and everyone is talking about building each other up, helping people with understanding certain concepts, whether it be educational or self-help groups goals,” he said. “But now you don't necessarily have that as much.”
The current contract is temporary
In May, the California Supreme Court ruled that CDCR engaged in unfair bidding practices when it signed its contract with ViaPath Technologies (formerly Global Tel Link, or GTL) which provided the tablets.
The lawsuit was brought by the other big player in prison tablets, Securus Technologies, which provided tablets for the 2018 pilot program with its subsidiary, JPay, before the new contract was signed.
The Sacramento County Superior Court ordered the department to vacate its six-year contract with ViaPath Technologies and begin a new bidding process for a permanent agreement.
In the meantime, CDCR says “existing tablet and phone services will be maintained during this interim period, but no additional services will be implemented until the permanent contract is in place.”
The department is allowed to maintain the temporary contract for 30 months and says there will be “no gap in services during this transition.”
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