HANCOCK COUNTY — They’re called “chirping” devices, and they look like a dumbed-down cellphone. They allow inmates at the Hancock County Jail an opportunity to send text messages to family and friends while behind bars.
As technology intertwines with nearly every aspect of daily life, it’s only natural for modern devices to filter in to every environment, including places like jails and prisons where people can be deprived modern forms of communication.
“It’s all just one step closer to moving into the new technology and where it’s all heading,” said Keith Oliver, the jail commander. “If we don’t keep up with technology, it will pass us by.”
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryStarting about a month ago, county officials started giving every inmate a chirping unit, complete with a protective case, upon being processed into the jail. The devices are made available to every inmate at a cost to the inmate or their family. Those who can afford the devices, and don’t abuse them, or commit any type of violation, are allowed to keep the devices throughout their incarceration.
If the chirping unit is destroyed, it will cost an inmate $200.
Oliver looked into bringing the program into the jail a few months ago after learning more about it through other jails in the state that have started using the units. The devices and the WiFi are provided through the jail’s commissary provider.
“All you can do on them is text-message only,” Oliver said. “They’re basically chirping devices.”
The new technology does not allow inmates to send or receive photos or download apps, make calls, search the internet, or send emojis — just text.
The jail is already equipped with a kiosk station that allows inmates to send emails, at a cost of 50 cents per email. The chirping devices cost 10 cents a text message, and inmates can send up to 160 characters per text.
The first five texts messages an inmate sends are free. If the inmate cannot fund the unit after the first five texts are sent, the devices are taken away and given to a new inmate being processed in.
Officials with the jail run the messaging system and control every aspect of the program and said the inmates who use them do so for the most part to keep in contact with family.
“A lot of times, it’s just a message saying ‘hey, I love you, I’m thinking about you,’” Oliver said.
While some may disagree with inmates’ ability to have a texting device while in jail, Robert Harris, community relations officer for the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, supports the program. He noted how inmates can already place calls and email. A texting device, Harris said, isn’t anything new, really. It’s just a different way for inmates to stay connected to life outside of jail.
Plus, there is an added bonus.
“This really is just another way to bring in revenue to lessen the burden of the taxpayers,” Harris said.
Oliver believes the communication devices are a good inmate management tool as well. If inmates behave, they can keep the units. If not, they’re quickly taken away.
Some correctional facilities have allowed inmates to even have tablets to listen to music and make downloads, for some time now. While officials in the county aren’t ready to go that far, just yet, allowing inmates another way of communicating with the outside world seems like the right thing to do, officials said.
“They’re inmates and did something or have been accused and are in jail, but just because they’re in jail doesn’t mean we have to treat them differently than anyone you would on the street,” Oliver said.
People in jail are expected to follow a certain set of rules, Oliver said. Jailers try their best to build relationships with inmates, help them rehabilitate, and make an inmate’s sentence as productive as possible. Allowing inmates to communicate more with their family and friends can only help the whole incarceration process, officials said.
“People in jail don’t want to be there,” Oliver said. “We’re always looking for ways to try to improve things.
