GTL Deploys Groundbreaking New Inspire™ Correctional Tablets
Devices offer calling, educational content, and more on a fully secure system
Reston, Virginia (PRNewswire) –June 4, 2015 – Global Tel*Link (GTL), the leading provider of integrated correctional technology solutions, announces that it has developed and successfully deployed its groundbreaking Inspire™ inmate tablet technology. These successful deployments culminate three years of research and development of corrections-grade tablet technology and secure wireless calling. The Inspire tablets have telephone, educational materials, and streaming music capabilities, and other features for inmate use, all while maintaining the security necessary for a correctional environment. Inspire tablets, currently implemented in multiple locations with a planned rollout to its customers in progress, were custom-designed by GTL. This ensures that both hardware and software meet strict correctional security needs while expanding communication choices and capabilities to help facilities reduce recidivism.
The Inspire tablets benefit both inmates and correctional facilities. For example, in addition to paper-saving features, such as commissary ordering and grievance and administrative request processing, facilities will also have the option of loading the devices with educational content. This content varies by facility and can include facility rules and guidelines, training manuals for jobs in various trades, social-emotional learning tools for skills like maintaining healthy relationships and anger management, and more. In addition to personal enrichment content, entertainment options such as streaming music have the potential to help inmates to better cope with their circumstances and promote positive mood. The combinations of these apps can better prepare inmates for life upon release, with the intent to reduce recidivism.
“We believe that the Inspire devices are the future of inmate communications, education and entertainment,” said Anthony Bambocci, GTL’s Chief Marketing Officer. “They improve a facility’s operational efficiencies by reducing costs and conflicts over access to phones, and have nearly limitless educational possibilities. In addition, the three years we have devoted to the design and security of our proprietary portfolio of devices and wireless access has been time well spent. Our devices have been inspected, reviewed and tested by corrections security staff and other experts in the field, making us confident they adhere to the strictest correctional security standards.”
The Inspire tablets allow for complete over-the-air (OTA) control of the proprietary operating system, including remote management of all system settings, applications, and firmware. All operating system settings can be remotely managed OTA, allowing GTL to remove the user-interactive settings application of the operating system. This prevents inmates from using the settings function for making changes to the settings of the Inspire product, further enhancing its already very robust security features. Additionally, similar to how many well-known consumer product lines can push new firmware versions onto devices remotely, GTL will be able to push the installation of operating system enhancements throughout the life of the Inspire product.
The current product implementations demonstrate several different capabilities of GTL’s wireless tablet technology system. For example, one implementation was launched in Alameda County, California. It is one of the largest deployments of correctional wireless tablet technology in the country and features inmates placing calls of up to four hours long in the privacy and comfort of their own cell. This provides inmates with an opportunity for increased communication with friends and family, which many have suggested is linked to reduced recidivism. In addition, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Detention and Corrections Unit has provided educational content on all of the tablets.
“Using the Inspire tablets has allowed us to provide valuable educational content to our inmates, helping them to prepare for productive lives once they are released,” said Gregory Ahern, Alameda County Sheriff. “In addition, providing tablets to individuals has lessened conflicts surrounding the use of traditional inmate phones and given inmates productive ways to spend their time.”
About Global Tel*Link
GTL is the leading provider of integrated correctional technology solutions, delivering financial value, security, and ease of operation to our customers through visionary products and solutions at the forefront of corrections innovation. As a trusted correctional industry leader, GTL provides service to approximately fifty percent of inmates nationwide, including service to 32 state departments of corrections, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 32 of the largest city/county facilities. GTL is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with more than 10 regional offices across the country. To find out more about GTL, please visit our website www.gtl.net.
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Industry Publications
Feature Articles
The July/August 2015 print edition of Corrections Today included a story submitted by the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) about an automated process and system that was put in place to automate inmate requests to staff. The article explains how the request system that was deployed by GTL for SCDC ultimately led to a request fulfillment rate of 97.6%. The digital reprint is available below.
Corrections Today July/August 2015 (.pdf)
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The March/April 2015 print edition of Correctional News included a feature story that covered GTL’s position in the market, the full breadth of our portfolio, and how we can deliver whole solutions to our customers. The digital reprint is available below.
March / April 2015 (.pdf)
