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Education Division Deploys Tablet Incentives

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department’s Education Division introduced new technology into the lives of select youth through the deployment of the American Prison Data System (APDS) tablet in a three-month pilot program. The tablet is similar to an iPad or Android device but is encased in a tamperproof, military grade shell to protect it from abuse. The tablet utilizes an Android operating system and comes preloaded with a range of programs and services and an extensive library.

Eighty tablets, funded through federal Title 1 grant money, have now been deployed at both the Gainesville and Giddings facilities. Youth receiving the tablets qualified by reaching behavior and educational goals such as academic grades, number of responsibility center referrals, and security admittances. Points were accumulated and calculated to implement a dorm “group incentive.” In Gainesville and Giddings, there were three/four dorms that qualified to receive and use the tablets for 30 days. Youth will have to support each other to qualify as the top dorms to receive the tablets every month. They also must complete and submit educational enrichment activities every day so that achievement points will accumulate throughout the month. If the youth is referred to security and or has been issued a Loss of Privileges (LOP), youth will not be able to use a tablet until they are off the LOP.

The implementation of tablets as an incentive for youth is an example of innovative programming designed to afford youth the opportunity to make appropriate choices while participating in services directly matched with their educational needs. This program addresses the youth’s individual risk factors, especially those around skill development and demonstration. The tablets will help facilitate and shape behavior and build coping skills through targeted skill development with directed practice, positive reinforcement, and staff modeling of pro-social skills. The tablets will serve as a valuable resource for reducing boredom, rewarding good behavior by extending technology privileges, and facilitating youth education and rehabilitation. The goal is to help youth reduce negative behavior while developing corresponding protective factors to build long-term, internalized changes in behavior.

APDS is the vendor for the tablets. They support the security system through monitoring cellular data that is not connected to the Internet, but rather only activates applications. The youth have access to thousands of books through the National Prison Library, educational videos, educational applications to target critical areas, Khan Academy for Math and some entertainment applications.

TJJD will be monitoring behavior goals and academic improvement over the next 3 months and will make adjustments where necessary. The students were very excited and engaged with the tablets and have so far accessed more than 700 books so far from the online library!

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