Federal inmates may soon get tablets with messaging capabilities as Bureau of Prisons makes modernization push

Federal inmates are set to receive their own tablets to use for educational and career advancement, according to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

On Wednesday, the BOP announced that it had inked a tablet services contract that will "dramatically modernize the agency’s approach to communication, education, rehabilitation and daily operations across its facilities nationwide."

The BOP also said inmates will be given access to secure messages and video services to help them "maintain healthy relationships with loved ones, an essential factor proven to reduce recidivism."

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Inmate David Class poses for a portrait with a program and educational tablet supplied by the Department of Corrections at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Per the announcement, the tablets will be made available to all inmates in BOP custody. There are more than 138,000 prisoners in federal corrections facilities.

"Our first priority is the safety of our staff and the security of our institutions," said BOP Director William K. Marshall III. "This contract modernizes outdated operations, reduces administrative burdens, and allows staff to focus on the critical work of maintaining safe facilities while expanding opportunities for rehabilitation and successful reentry."

Officials said the tablets will assist inmates with literacy support, evidence-based rehabilitative programs, faith-based materials, health care information and job preparation content.

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Inmates Christopher Merced, left, and David Class demonstrate the different uses of a program and educational tablet supplied by the Department of Corrections at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The tablets will also reduce administrative burden for staff by moving traditionally paper-dependent tasks, such as commissary ordering and program registration, onto a digital platform.

The BOP stressed that the devices will be rolled out in phases across its vast network of prisons, with each implementation being guided by "strict security protocols and oversight."

The timeline for the rollout is not clear. Fox News reached out to the BOP for further comment.

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Virtually every state prison system now has some form of tablet program, though the scope, vendor, features, and rollout model vary widely. In 2019, only a dozen states had tablets in prisons, according to Law360.

This stock image shows the interior of a cell block and common area at a state jail. (iStock)

Oregon is the most recent state to begin implementing a model where each inmate gets their own tablet.

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In April, the state's Department of Corrections said one of the primary motivations for doing this was to cut down on drugs getting smuggled into prisons through the mail.

Once the program is fully in place, officials will scan inmate's mail and send it to them via their tablet, cutting off any ability for them to receive illicit packages while behind bars, Oregon's DOC said in June.