Educational options: Tablet program continues to grow at county jail

GREENFIELD — Dustin C. Jameson said he signed up to be part of a tablet program at the Hancock County Jail mainly because he thought he might get a little entertainment out of an electronic device the programming uses.

Turns out the programming is part of an educational opportunity for inmates and became a real game changer, giving Jameson numerous opportunities to better himself, and he took advantage.

“I’ve done a little better in prison than I have out there in the world,” Jameson said of how the use of the tablet programming changed his life. “It’s scary to think about getting out there to learn to live the right way, the correct way because I’ve got battles I’m going to battle for the rest of my life, but accidentally learning something through the tablet when I just wanted it for entertainment — it’s pretty impressive because I’ve got 30 certificates and 300 badges and I’ve been able to go through and show people, ‘Hey, look what I did.’ It’s a positive.”

Jameson, 33, Greenfield, is now out of jail and going through the county’s Drug Court program while also continuing his education, thanks to the head start he took advantage of while serving time.

Sheriff Brad Burkhart and Jail Navigator Crystal Petty presented to Hancock County Council recently, asking for more funding for the programming, resources and tablets. They asked for $243,300 so jail officers can continue to offer the educational opportunities and bring more inmates on board.

The jail has some 285 tablets, Petty said. Approximately 225 are licensed. Burkhart asked the county for 50 more licenses for the programming, which would cost an estimated $243,300 for 2025. Burkhart said the county owns the tablets but must pay for the software.

“As of September we have completed 1,266 referrals and have serviced 1,100 people through the Jail Navigation,” Petty said.

The programming offers many educational tools including Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) — a cognitive-behavioral treatment system that leads to enhanced moral reasoning, better decision making and more appropriate behavior.

“The Orijin’s tablets have become a very integrative part, and we also have our GED programming,” Petty said. “Plus, we offer our support programs.”

The jail has an estimated 200 inmates using the tablets for self help in one way or another, and leaders want to continue increasing that number.

“In January of 2024 we were at 30% of the jail population having them, and now we’re at 82%,” Petty said. “We average about 95 minutes per student per day, and just for the month of January (2025) there was 1,400 programming hours done on the tablets.”

Since August 2023, Petty noted, there have been 85,000 hours of programming completed on the tablets in Hancock County.

“It just shows how well Crystal and all the other jail navigators are doing,” Burkhart said. “The things that we’re doing in the jail, to me that’s what it’s all about.”

Burkhart told the Daily Reporter there is actually a savings to the county by graduating inmates from the type of programming offered. Out of the 150 graduates, they have accumulated 56,101 days out of jail. With a cost of $79.02 to house an inmate per day times 56,101 days out of jail, Burkhart said that is a cost savings to the county of more than $4,433,000.

“We currently have 170 graduates,” Burkhart said. “Of those, 150 graduates have been released from incarceration, and those 150 graduates have accumulated 56,101 days out of jail since release.”

Burkhart asked the county council to pay for the programming through opioid settlements funds. Council members, however, felt the money should come from a permanent fund and suggested taking the money out of food and beverage or the jail budget.

“If we all think we will continue having this program indefinitely, we need to find a home in the budget where it can live,” council member Keely Butrum said.

While there is some entertainment available on the tablets (radio), Burkhart noted the programming is used for educational and self-help certifications.

Council member Scott Wooldridge told Burkhart providing tablets to inmates is one of the areas he’s heard complaints about from constituents, who don’t feel taxpayer monies should be paying for the programming.

“It’s not the educational part; it’s what Dustin said in the very beginning: ‘The reason I wanted it was for entertainment,’” Wooldridge said.

Wooldridge thought it might be good to take the entertainment part out, or make it something as simple as classical music. Burkhart noted the only entertainment inmates are getting is the music on the tablets, and he feels it’s helpful.

“Yeah, we can shut it off but there needs to be a little bit of a rewards system in there,” Burkhart said. “I’m not against them having a little bit of entertainment during down time, and there is litigation we’re paying out for fights and injuries and officers getting hurt. You gotta think outside of the box that hey, they’re just getting music.”

Petty noted they believe the music does decrease the amount of friction in the pod areas where inmates are kept.

“If things get loud, the inmates can put their headphones on and listen to some music instead of arguing,” Petty said.

Burkhart said Hancock County Jail has become a model for transformative correctional practices in Indiana, thanks to a commitment to providing high-quality educational and vocational programs designed for rehabilitating and rebuilding lives.

At the heart of this is the integration of Orijin’s managed learning platform, which is interwoven with the facility’s in-person programming, enhancing its outcomes and providing supplemental learning.

Butrum feels the tablets are a good piece of programming for inmates and supports their use.

“I think it’s antiquated to think like the whole purpose for being in jail is to sit there and think about what you’ve done, when you need to be thinking about how can you not do it again,” Butrum said. “I think the tablets are a great means of doing that.”

The bill for the programming is due in March. County officials passed a motion to pay for the service for another year from an undetermined fund.

Read the article in full here.

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