Smart Communications always tries their best to provide the inmates with the best thing when they are behind the bar. There are several services offered by them to the inmates. Some of them are tablets and kiosks. The tablet and kiosk here refer to the one used or visited by the inmates to get in touch with their people from outside or to access some information.
The tablet and kiosk solutions for inmates by Smart Communications are free, which may be surprising because other vendors with lesser technology platforms always charge the inmates. It seems like their technology is tied to the phone or commissary contact and revenue is taken from the proceeds of those contacts to pay for their technology system.
On the other hand, SmartTablet and Smart Kiosk provided by Smart Communications are free. Besides, they can also be independent of a phone contract. If you are wondering if the inmates will be charged later, there is no need to worry as there are no hidden fees. In case you are curious why they are free, the reason is because Smart Communications is a real tech company. They support their own technology with their own revenue that comes from services such as video visitation, electronic messaging, and optional entertainment. Their revenue is higher and the maintenance is lower because their technology works.
SmartTablet
You can read about tablet user manual here.
Smart Kiosk
The data network and electrical infrastructure will be installed by Smart Communications in the agency for free. Inmates will get SmartTablets or SmartKiosks for free. The staff will be trained for free. In addition, system updates, changes or customizations will also be free. Basically, everything will be free.
There are a few things provided by Smart Communications
1. SmartJailMail
Smart Communications has a number of features. One of the most innovative ones is the electronic messaging function. This one is powered by SmartJailMail.com. With this feature, the inmates are allowed to reach out to their family members and friends through a system that looks like email. While it is similar to email, it is different compared to email in the outside world as it is specifically made for use in correctional facilities. There are many benefits of access to electronic messaging.
SmartJailMail.com has been around for a decade. It has solved and prevented so many crimes. This one is regularly used in criminal activity within the agency and communities. It can be monitored for keywords that are selected by the investigators for certain needs. The messages are able to be searched so that finding content can be done easily. Besides, the searched keywords will also be highlighted.
2. SmartVisit
SmartVisit is the kind of thing that provides total flexibility and automation for the agency. It allows several things such as self-scheduling, onsite and remote inmate visits through SmartTablet or SmartKiosk. With SmartVisit, the movement of the inmates for visits can be eliminated.
3. Digital request, grievance, and medical forms
Smart Communications claims to have the most advanced electronic request, grievance and medical form submission platform in corrections. It is able to be customized to every certain agency and department needs. It will get rid of paperwork around inmate requests and grievances. Every electronic request is centrally tracked and managed, resulting in the need to shuffle paper forms around the facility to be eliminated. To respond to the requests, they will do it electronically, making it possible for the inmates to get answers quickly. It is worth noting that the workflow of the request system depends on the department policy and it may be changed without vendor assistance.
4. SmartEd
Providing education to inmates is important and it has been proven to be effective in reducing recidivism and improving their behavior. That’s why Smart Communications has created and invested in SmartEd. This one is an education platform for the inmates. It is 100% free. Aside from an education platform, it is also the platform for rehabilitation and reentry.
There are a lot of things provided by Smart Communications through SmartEd, including free education courses, court ordered and approved courses, self-help, GED, vocational, religious, spiritual, behavioral courses, and so on. There is no doubt that this platform is good. It is the solution that is able to be customized for the agency with inmate reward options, content management, and more.
5. Law Library
Law Library is one of the solutions offered by Smart Communications. Just like the others, it is also free. The content in the library will be updated every day, making the information up to date. Thanks to this library, all of the legal needs and requirements of the inmates are now fulfilled. Every time an inmate makes a visit, their access time will be logged and retained in the system. It will be used as a proof of access and to reduce legal disputes.
All inmates are allowed to access legal content anytime they want without having to spend any. They can do it in the SmartTablet or SmartKiosk. As it can be accessed at the housing area of the inmates, their movement can be eliminated.
6. Commissary Hosting
In this modern era, a lot of commissary companies offer their own technology solution. However, their main business and the thing that they can do is only distributing snacks. They do not focus on technology. It can be seen from their resulting solutions. They usually have limited functionality and have software that is designed poorly. In order to make your agency pay for the technology solution that they give without spending any, they will try to take advantage of commission share reductions or contact extensions.
Unlike the others, Smart Communications host the menu of the vendor on their hardware. Their hardware is the one that will directly host inmates’ orders from the platform of the vendor. For your information, Smart Communications is currently integrated with all major vendors and many regional commissary vendors.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
