West Virginia Prisoners Will Be Charged by the Minute to Read eBooks on Tablets
When I had previously reported on US prisons restricting sources of books (or out right banning books altogether) I justified the practice by pointing out the how books can be used to smuggle drugs into prisons.
There is no way to justify what the state of West Virginia is doing.
From Reason:
Inmates at several West Virginia prisons are getting free electronic tablets to read books, send emails, and communicate with their families—but there’s a catch. Any inmates looking to read Moby Dick may find that it will cost them far more than it would have if they’d simply gotten a mass market paperback, because the tablets charge readers by the minute.
Under a 2019 contract between the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (WVDCR) and Global Tel Link (GTL), the company that is providing electronic multimedia tablets to 10 West Virginia prisons, inmates will be charged 3 cents a minute to read books, even though the books all come from Project Gutenberg, a free online library of more than 60,000 texts in the public domain.
The WVDCR says the tablets provide access to educational materials, incentives for good behavior, and an easy way to stay in touch with loved ones. But the Appalachian Prison Book Project, a nonprofit that offers free books and education to inmates, says the fee structure is exploitative.
"If you pause to think or reflect, that will cost you," says Katy Ryan, the group’s founder and educational coordinator. "If you want to reread a book, you will pay the entire cost again. This is about generating revenue for the state and profit for the industry. Tablets under non-predatory terms could be a very good thing inside prisons. GTL does not provide that."
According to the contract, detailed by Appalachian Prison Book Project, using the tablets will cost $0.05 per minute (currently discounted to $0.03) to read books, listen to music, or play games; $0.25 per minute for video visitations; $0.25 per written message; and $0.50 to send a photo with a message.
The Prison Policy Initiative estimated in 2017 that wages in West Virginia prisons range between $0.04 and $0.58 an hour.
I am speechless.
image by photographymontreal via Flickr
Comments
Reader November 27, 2019 um 1:09 pm
That is a ripoff!
Fahirsch November 27, 2019 um 2:07 pm
If I were a DA, I would prosecute all involved in the contract
Xavier Basora November 28, 2019 um 7:34 am
Agreed. This is a violation of the 1st amendment and it’s an adhensionary contract. This it must be interpreted very destructively and in favour of the prisoners.
Finally, this tipoff just creates yet another black market
MKS November 29, 2019 um 11:25 pm
The book is free. Downloading a book takes less than three minutes. What service is the rental company offering? The prisoner doesn’t need an internet connection to read a book, unless they also have some proprietary minute-by-minute reading monitoring software running of dubious utility and legality.
Nate Hoffelder December 1, 2019 um 9:47 am
helpful spyware?
Olivier December 2, 2019 um 9:24 am
This is a fine example of american cruelty in punishment.
Nate Hoffelder December 2, 2019 um 10:04 am
yep
Episode 296 – Self-Doubt, Fake Reviews, & Libraries | Sell More Books Show December 4, 2019 um 6:05 am
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Erin December 4, 2019 um 10:51 am
Disgraceful. I’ve been appalled at the articles these past few years detailing all the restrictions, eliminations and cons with allowing prisoners to access books or reading material.