ON TECH & THE PRISON SYSTEM - Pendarvis Harshaw dives deep into the ways technology is changing the world for the incarcerated

Pendarvis Harshaw dives deep into the ways technology is changing the world for the incarcerated

All praises due to our good friend Pendarvis, for helping to tell stories that matter. As the journalist, and photojournalist, behind OG Told Me, Pen’s photo-interview-essay series with Oakland’s assorted elders is just one of the many storytelling exercises he’s been a part of. More recently though, Pen set up shop in a new position at SF’s Fusion to continue on the journalistic path, with a newfound focus on the strange, exciting, and frequently troubling space that is the tech sector.Pen’s latest project, a collaboration with Fusion’s Senior Editor Kevin Roose, sheds some light on the fascinating but under-covered intersection between tech and the prison system. “Tech Behind Bars” is split into three pieces, each focused on a different issue–the first on the illicit market for digital devices behind bars, the second on the difficulties inmates encounter on entering a “digital society,” and the third on “video visitations” and the range of new tech devices being introduced into the corrective industry’s institutional framework.

For those of who mostly encounter tech reporting through stories about either how many hundreds of millions some enterprise software startup just raised, or which cool ass neighborhood landmark is about to get bulldozed, reporting like this is always refreshing. As we keep on grappling with the big questions–like say, whether all this new technology will keep opening up lanes for empowering people, or whether powerful people will just have more efficient weapons at their disposal to shit on everyone else and sell them things–it’s cool to talk about the impact of all these advances on people who tend to get left out of the conversation. In any case, Pen and Kevin have more insight than I do on the subject, so peep the excerpts below, and follow the links. More than worth the read.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Part I: Inside the Prison System’s Illicit Digital World

“On January 2, 2014, a vendor truck approached the entrance to the Sierra Conservation Center, a mid-sized state prison nestled in the sleepy foothills town of Jamestown, California. Guards were stationed at the entrance, along with Duchess, a female Belgian Malinois who works in the K-9 contraband unit of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. As the driver waited to be let in, Duchess began to sniff around the rear of the truck. Suddenly, she began whining excitedly. Something, it seemed, was in there.

When officers inspected the truck, they found a cornucopia of contraband: three tubes of Krazy Glue, four tubes of Gorilla Glue, six rolling papers, and three and a half pounds of loose-leaf tobacco. But the most valuable part of the haul wasn’t the drugs. It was a plastic bag containing cell phones – fifteen in all, accompanied by a dozen chargers.”

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Part II: After Years Behind Bars, Can Prisoners Re-enter a Digital Society?

“For former inmates, the transition out of prison and into the 21st century can be jarring. Many newly paroled inmates, especially those who served long sentences, have never sent an e-mail, used a smartphone, or filled out an online form. The unfamiliarity of these systems can create hurdles when it comes to mundane tasks, such as buying groceries from the self-checkout aisle at the store or using an electronic subway pass. And when it comes to applying for jobs, small hurdles can turn into huge obstacles.”

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Part III: Can Technology & Prisons Get Along?

“The Prison Policy Initiative, an advocacy group, admonished prisons for “making money off of families desperate to stay in touch” in a January 2015 report. The FCC recently cracked down on prison phone providers charging usurious voice call rates by placing price caps on interstate calls, but there’s no such cap for video calls, meaning that in some cases, companies are trying to make up for lost voice call revenue by peddling new, expensive video systems.

This, then, leads to the billion-dollar question about tablets, video visitations, and other forms of correctional gadgetry. As new technologies spread into jails and prisons, will they be used to aid in the rehabilitation process and help inmates re-integrate successfully into society? Or will they simply be seized by fee-seeking providers as a new way to make money by exploiting a marginalized population?”

The post ON TECH & THE PRISON SYSTEM appeared first on Wine & Bowties.