"Many people have a misconception of what some types of body scanners can do"

"Body scanners are used to screen for contraband in a variety of places. Airports, schools, government buildings, and corrections facilities are examples of the types of places that have employed body scanners. Different types of body scanners have different capabilities based on the imaging technologies used and the sophistication of the internal system analysis.

"Of the many difficulties incarcerated people face, losing contact with loved ones may be among the most damaging. Research has shown that maintaining community ties can improve their health and well-being, decrease their sense of isolation, reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress, and improve their feelings of control and involvement in family life. Furthermore, research suggests that receiving any visit at all during incarceration reduces the risk of someone committing a new offense or violating conditions of parole when they are released.

The more incarcerated people get to visit with their loved ones while they’re serving time, the less likely they are to reoffend later on. Research has repeatedly shown it. Just where video visitation rights fall into that, though, has become a serious point of contention.

"Inmates in prisons across Alabama would soon have access to tablet computers under a new plan by the state Department of Corrections aimed in part at reducing the high cost of calling home from behind bars."

"A federal appeals court on Tuesday said regulators went too far in trying to rein in the high cost of phone calls for prison inmates. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with phone service companies in finding that the Federal Communications Commission had exceeded its authority. The ruling is a setback for prison reform advocates who have been fighting for years to reduce the prices imposed by a handful of private companies."

"Jailhouse visits like this one between family members and inmates are starting to make a comeback, replacing a decades long trend of requiring families to use Skype-like video technology in which families dial in from a computer at home, a public library or inside the jail itself to talk to a loved one who is incarcerated."

"In 2012, NIJ awarded the Vera Institute of Justice a multiyear grant to conduct the first-ever systemwide evaluation of video visitation technology for prisons. The study is using a mixed-methods design to better understand how to create policies about family-inmate contact, inform investment decisions and policies related to video visitation technology, and to understand video visitation’s role in reducing recidivism."

The debate over prison reform seems sharply divided between those who want to see stricter sentencing and harsher punishment and those who want to move toward a more rehabilitative system. Despite very real differences between these two philosophies, there may be one issue that both sides can agree on - inmate tablets.

"For seasoned corrections officers, the notion of freely handing out expensive electronic tablet devices to an incarcerated population seems absolutely absurd. I was guilty of the same opinion until I took a deeper look at this new generation of inmate program management. This article highlights current pilot programs and the opportunity cost to issuing tablets to inmates in jails and prisons."