Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Thursday 26 July 2018
For latest in orderliness, prisons look to computer tablets

By PAT EATON-ROBB Two lawsuits filed by South
Associated Press Dakota inmates allege tab-
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — lets are prone to malfunc-
Allowing inmates to stare tions and don't provide
at computer tablet screens promised access to legal
for hours each day may be databases, making them a
just the ticket for creating poor alternative to the law
calm, orderly cellblocks, libraries they replaced.
prison officials say. The Colorado Department
But tablets, growing in of Corrections said has had
popularity in prisons na- to deal with security issues,
tionwide, also can help in- such as improper sharing
mates advance their edu- of devices and inmates re-
cation, connect with family moving a metal strip from
and prepare them for life in an early model to make
the technology-saturated weapons, said spokesman
outside world, officials say. Mark Fairbairn.
In Connecticut, which But, he said, overall it has
plans to introduce tablets in been positive, and game
its prisons this summer, Cor- and music subscriptions
rection Commissioner Scott have brought in more than
Semple said officials are New Hampshire Department of Corrections Officer Glen Dinning puts a tablet back into a $53,000 to the depart-
learning from other states charging cabinet at the Corrections Transitional Work Center, a low risk security section at the ment's commissary service.
that cellblocks become New Hampshire State Prison for Men, in Concord, N.H., Monday, July 23, 2018. In Connecticut, the plan is
much quieter after tablets Associated Press to begin handing out the
are introduced. tablets in in the highest-se-
"Just like when you walk in sometimes there is down drugs. Tablets, he said, kept cially since we're talking curity prisons. Because they
the mall, everyone is look- time in prisons," Semple him in touch with relatives about people who are dis- are a privilege, Semple
ing down at their phone," said. "We're also trying to and eliminated conflicts proportionately very poor," said, they can be an incen-
he said. keep them exposed to among inmates vying for said Wanda Bertram, with tive for inmates to behave.
The devices, which are technology, because we their once-a-day use of the the Prison Policy Initiative, a Pennsylvania introduced
transparent so contraband hear from people that phone. think tank. tablets in 2016. Inmates
can't be hidden in them, when they go back into so- "Talking with my family gave And Connecticut state can buy them from Global
won't be hooked to the ciety, the technology is so me a sense of keeping my Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, Tel-Link for just under $150.
internet, but to an internal different that they struggle." head straight and motivat- a co-chair of the Judiciary About 16,000, or a third of
system. They will be pre- Connecticut got the idea ed me to keep doing what Committee, said he doesn't the state's inmate popula-
loaded with educational from similar programs in I'm doing," he said. understand why the state tion, have done so.
materials, including books, Georgia and Colorado, Connecticut, which has would give priority to crimi- The Pennsylvania correc-
educational videos and Semple said. about 13,500 inmates, ex- nals over, say, public school tions department is still col-
games. Miramar, Florida-based pects to finalize its contract students. lecting data on violence or
Inmates will also be able to JPay, one of the major with a provider this summer. "These folks have commit- other conflicts, said Shirley
use them — for a price — tablet providers to prisons, The programs do have crit- ted really bad crimes that Moore Smeal, the depart-
to send emails and make said it has put them in 13 ics. have consequences and ment's executive deputy
monitored phone calls to states so far. Prison officials Questions have been victims," he said. "It both- secretary. But prison super-
those on their approved estimate tablets are used raised about whether the ers me as to what message intendents tell them the
communications lists. They in more than 10 percent of tablets could lead prisons we're sending." impact has been positive,
will also be able to buy mu- correctional facilities na- to decrease in-person visi- Plant said that he under- she said. "It does lead to
sic, video games and other tionwide. tation and whether there stands that criticism, but a better environment for
items to load onto the ma- In January, New York an- is enough regulation of pri- that the tablets, especially the population," she said.
chines from kiosks in the nounced plans to provide vate providers to prevent their educational content, "It gives them something to
prisons. tablets to 51,000 inmates, price gouging. are an important rehabili- look forward to. It's some-
The company that provides and in April, New Hamp- "If we believe that people tation tool. thing that's constructive
the tablets will make a prof- shire signed a five-year in prison would benefit "If you don't want things for them, and that means
it selling those materials, al- contract with Reston, Vir- from resources that enrich like this, then change the it's constructive for the in-
lowing the state to get the ginia-based Global Tel-Link their lives and allow them name from the Depart- stitution itself." The state,
machines at no cost. to provide tablets there. to contact their loved ones ment of Corrections to the she said, is also looking into
"We're trying to increase Anthony Plant, 27, of Lan- more, we shouldn't make Department of Holding," he providing some tablets that
engagement opportunities caster, New Hampshire, those benefits contingent said. "Because that's all you can be loaned to prisoners
for a population, because served 21 months for selling on who can pay, espe- are doing." who cannot afford them.q

Netflix to open in Spain its first European production hub

MADRID (AP) — Netflix says es. production hub currently Netflix's "growing slate of the third season of Cable
it's establishing in Spain its A company statement under construction by Spanish-language original Girls, produced entirely in
first content production Tuesday says the new pro- Grupo Secuoya, a leading content," including new Spain, and has recently
hub on European soil as duction center in the out- Spanish media company. and existing titles, co-pro- signed a deal with the cre-
the online video entertain- skirts of Madrid will initially It says the studios are ex- duced or undertaken by ators of Money Heist, its
ment platform tries to ex- occupy close to a quarter pected to be operational Netflix alone. most watched non-English
pand in different languag- of the 22,000 square-meter in September and will help Netflix is about to release language show.q