"I want to do more than sit in that cell and wait to die": the modernized pains of tablets in prison

Abstract

Prisons have historically enforced a digital divide that causes incarcerated persons to suffer socio-cultural limitations in the age of technology (Arguelles & Ortiz-Luis, 2021; Jewkes & Johnston, 2009; Jewkes & Reisdorf, 2016). This study explores how technological advancements in the form of computerized tablets are changing incarceration for those in Delaware prisons. Despite their largescale implementation across US prisons, tablets have been studied under limited capacities which mainly focus on the service contracts (Bertram & Wagner, 2018) and lack of legislative restriction (Raher, 2020). The current study uses two methods of data collection to address this gap in the literature: quantitative surveys and qualitative written responses. Individual-level surveys (N = 479) were collected assessing the perception of the tablet program and its effect on video visitation. Written responses (N = 336) were gathered asking to describe the tablet services in more detail. This data provides an insider point of view on how the tablets are functioning within the prison setting and how implementation of the tablet program may be promoting modernized ‘pains of imprisonment’ (Sykes, 1958). Findings are used to guide policy recommendations to help inform correctional departments of how increased technological communication may impact experiences of incarceration and continued family contact.