The Baltimore Sun reports that Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler pushed a novel solution Monday for closing the prison revolving door: Give inmates tablet computers. Gansler, who is expected to run for governor, said the devices would help offenders build both education credentials and social support before they leave prison. He said an Android tablet would then connect with e-books, the state’s library system, law resources and online learning programs.
They would also allow limited, monitored email access, so inmates could connect with family members. The tablet idea is one element of Gansler’s 10-part proposal for integrating former inmates into communities. Statistics show that roughly half of the offenders who are released will return to the state’s prison system within three years. He called the state’s approach to re-entry a “policy mess.”