The Daviess County Detention Center is rolling out a new inmate communications system that will provide tablets to most inmates and change how non-legal mail is processed, in what officials say is an effort to improve safety and reduce the risk of contraband entering the jail.
Jailer Art Maglinger said the detention center is transitioning all inmate communications to Combined Public Communications, or CPC, replacing its previous communications platform as part of a broader technology upgrade.
“It’s a pretty major technological transition,” Maglinger said.
As part of the change, most inmates will be assigned an individual tablet, though inmates on suicide watch and others under certain restrictions may not receive one. The tablets will serve as each inmate’s primary communications device and provide access to phone calls, video visitation, electronic messaging, grievance forms, and educational resources.
Maglinger said the tablets also include free services available to all inmates, including indigent inmates who cannot afford paid services. Those offerings include educational materials, GED practice tests, religious programming, law library access, and other resources.
“The more you can occupy their time with positive things, the better,” Maglinger said. “It’s kind of their lifeline to their families.”
Most inmates will have access to the tablets throughout the day, with restrictions during inmate counts or other operational needs. Communications are monitored and recorded, and inmates do not have unrestricted internet access, Maglinger said.
The detention center has previously used fixed kiosks for inmate communications, but this marks the first widespread deployment of individual tablets.
Maglinger said officials also hope the system reduces conflicts over shared communication equipment while providing inmates with additional educational and legal resources.
“I think it’s a positive step in the right direction,” he said.
The transition also includes changes to inmate mail handling.
Beginning July 1, the detention center will use an off-site mail processing service for non-legal mail from family and friends. Mail will be sent to a processing center, where it will be scanned before detention center staff review and approve it for delivery to inmates.
Maglinger said the change is designed to reduce the growing threat of drugs and other contraband entering correctional facilities through paper mail, including fentanyl and other substances that can be absorbed into paper.
“It’s not so much that they’re not qualified to do it,” Maglinger said, referring to questions raised about off-site mail processing. “It’s more of a safety thing.”
Legal mail will continue to be sent directly to the detention center at 3337 KY 144. It will be opened and inspected for contraband in the inmate’s presence before being copied for the inmate. The original document will then be shredded in the inmate’s presence.
Items, including eyeglasses, newspapers, and worker boots, will also continue to be delivered directly to the detention center.
The communications upgrade also shifts inmate video visitation to CPC. Family members can create accounts, deposit funds to inmate tablet accounts, and access communication services through the provider’s online portal.
Maglinger said the transition will require staff to establish new procedures as the system is implemented, but he expects it to benefit inmates and their families over time.
“We’re hoping it’ll be a positive thing for the inmates and their families,” he said.
