McLean County inmates will not be able to use computer tablets. Nine Democrats and three Republicans decided Thursday night to delay voting on a vendor’s contract for the tablets, which inmates could use for communicating with family, educational programs, and entertainment.
County board member Chuck Erickson said the reason the inmates have the tablets is for rehabilitation.
“We are trying to rehabilitate them and make them feel like they can move onto another path in life,” said Erickson. “They already had free access. Free access is provided to the law library, religious apps, Bible Gateway, religious library and some books. They have free access to that. What they were going to have to pay for is other stuff like tablet entertainment.”
That payment plan proposed in the vendor contract was going to be .05 cents per usage minute for tablet entertainment, like streaming a movie and inbound messages via email would be a quarter.
“No one is stopping them for doing anything,” said Erickson. “The McLean County sheriff has control over the jail. He wanted to basically let the inmates have the tablets with free educational programs. Basically he was saying if you want pay per view entertainment you have to pay for that. The Democrats objected to that on the grounds that the county should pay for that itself. Not one Democrat objected on the grounds of the price being too high.”
The McLean county taxpayers just spent about $39 million to expand the jail about five years ago.
“We got a brand new jail done there,” said Erickson. “We put $5 million into that jail every year to make it run right. We have a jail that takes care of the mentally ill. The Democrats think that that’s not enough to spend on it. Now we need to make sure the prisoners get everything free, now we should pay for their movies.”
Sheriff Jon Sandage said he ordered them taken away for now because he’s uncomfortable operating under a contract that might not be signed. A contract a Democrat-majority delayed in the last board meeting.
Now, come the accusations by Democrats of “unfair treatment” of the incarcerated against the sheriff.
“If they really want to a Sheriff’s candidate who’s campaign theme is more free internet for inmates,” said Erickson. “I want to see them do it. Sometimes I think we need to have these fights and settle the issue.”
