When most prisoners are released, they are faced with a lot of challenges getting used to the changing outside world. Most of them often feel completely lost and have to spend a lot of time learning new things especially when it comes to technology.
Getting released from prison, most of them find that the world has undergone a transformation in technology. For instance, assume someone was released this year after spending about twenty years in prison.
Such a person would find a revolution such as the use of IoT devices, social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook as well as software applications.
Despite these prisoners lacking access to technology when in prison, they are forced to reintegrate into the world using the same technology that they did not have access to in the first place.
This has raised a lot of concerns, something that is leading to changes in how prisoners, as well as those related to them in the outside world, can use technology.
Today, we are seeing different ways through which technology can help those that are in prison. Some of the most common ways include;
Reconnecting with the Incarcerates
Sometimes, some inmates are taken to prison and may be transferred to other prisons without their loved ones being aware of it. In some circumstances, some people might have lost touch with their loved ones in prisons and do not know how to find them.
Technology has allowed the development of tools such as Prison Roster that help family members and friends reconnect with incarcerates.
Using these tools, one can find if a loved one is incarcerated and the location where they are held. That way, prisoners are able to reconnect with their family members through technology.
Social Media Access
There are people campaigning to have prisoners granted limited social media access while still in prison. This is important in allowing those that are in prison to connect with people who can help them when they are released from prison.
Through the use of technology, access to social media can be controlled to ensure that it is not a free system like the one enjoyed by those in the outside world.
Technology can provide training platforms to select prisoners in a certain location (usually controlled) with all the inmates’ activity being monitored.
Getting Literate in Tech
Technology is driving every industry today. If you want to make a transaction, order a ride, order a meal, make a job application, or even book a flight, you need to do it from your smartphone or computer.
If you are not tech-literate, then you are going to struggle to survive. Most inmates have spent a lot of time in prison. Some of them didn’t even leave the digital transformations we enjoy today before they were incarcerated.
This means that technology can be used in prison to ensure that they are tech-literate and to introduce them to the current world.
After being released, they should be able to use these tools and devices to restart their lives and learn about different things such as detecting fraud and identity theft to ensure that they are safe.
In conclusion, research shows that gaining skills in technology while still in prison helps prisoners build self-confidence and start planning about their re-entry into the outside world. This is important in helping them remain hopeful and avoiding any activities that would extend their stay in the prisons. It, therefore, shows that technology can help those that are in prison.
