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Delegation members discuss tablets for WCI inmates

September 1st, 2022 by WCBC Radio

A report earlier this week that inmates at the Western Correctional Institution (WCI) near Cresaptown now have access to electronic tablets has not been well received by some in the local community. The state program was initiated jointly in 2018 by the governor’s office on crime prevention; the department of labor and the department of corrections. The program equips inmates with electronic tablets that provide access to applications and tools that increase motivation, personalize learning, and accelerate passage of the GED and TABE  assessments. By expanding the program to other facilities, most recently WCI, the hope is it will change the lives of hundreds of inmates who need access to technology to be successful in their future jobs. Not everyone is as enthusiastic about this state funded program- and one of those phoned  WCBC’s “Dave Norman Show”…

Delegate Jason Buckel, who acknowledged that he is not that familiar with the program, said while he wouldn’t want prisoners having internet access for entertainment or social media purposes, he can understand there being some value to an educational component….

Delegate Mike Mckay says given that computers are available to inmates in prison libraries, this appears to be an overreach by the state…