In May 2023, The City and County of San Francisco has launched the nation’s first completely free tablet program, with no hidden fees, for all people incarcerated in local jails. Through this tablet program, all inmates at the San Francisco Jail will have access to a tablet and all services will be free of charge. At no cost to them or their families, people can participate in education and welfare programs, find job openings and housing to prepare for re-entry, access critical legal resources, and receive referral orders. , file a medical claim, or file a complaint. You’ll also have free access to e-books, audiobooks, movies, and music offered through a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the San Francisco Public Library.
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San Francisco’s new tablet program could serve as a model for jails and prisons across the country We provide free tablets with various free features.In many other jails and prisons, tablets are used to: profit from incarcerated individuals and his family. These high costs are typically not borne by inmates themselves, who have little income while incarcerated, but rather by their families, most of whom are low-income and people of color. Providing free tablets to all incarcerated people reduces the economic burden on them and their families, promotes racial and economic equity, and provides free and fair access to reentry resources for all incarcerated people. will be able to access.
The distribution of free tablets to all inmates was made possible through a unique collaboration with the San Francisco Mayor’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, Public Library, Treasury Department’s Financial Justice Project, and San Francisco Department.Lancisco Prison Justice Coalition. We are proud of this first-in-the-nation reform in San Francisco and hope this issue brief will be helpful to other jurisdictions seeking to reduce the high costs of incarceration for families and inmates.
