In a forward step towards modernizing communication for those behind bars, the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) has announced a new system that will enable incarcerated individuals to make phone calls from their personal electronic tablets, as reported on July 18. Starting August 1 of this year, the state's prison inmates will shift from the long queues of shared wall phones to the privacy of their own devices, provided by Securus Technologies, a leading provider of civil and criminal justice technology services.
According to the ADCRR, this move will not just ease the process of making calls but also intends to give the incarcerated population a sense of autonomy that’s hard to come by when you're serving time, calls will be charged to the receiver via Securus's AdvanceConnect system and family, friends, and legal counsel looking to connect with an inmate will need to register and add funds through the Securus Mobile app. Friends and family will no longer have to grapple with the constraints imposed by traditional calling methods employed in prisons, which often include limited call times and the lack of privacy.
However, the ADCRR also clarifies that all tablet calls will be recorded with the exception of privileged conversations such as those involving legal counsel. Attorneys and others seeking confidential communication must still arrange through prison complex protocols to ensure their exchanges remain unrecorded. This measure safeguards the legal rights to attorney-client confidentiality, a pillar critical to the justice system.
While this development marks a significant shift in how inmates interact with the outside world, there are operational guidelines and policies in place to regulate the use of these digital devices, ADCRR’s current policy maintains that conventional monitoring standards will apply to the tablet calls—just as they do for wall or yard phones. Further details are available on the Securus website, and those seeking additional information can reach out to the ADCRR's Constituent Services team through the provided contact channels.
