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Securus' services to Arkansas' DOC are better than Florida's DOC.

Readers, readers indeed!
I got a copy of a letter in our Viewer app one day, just before the retirement of our lackluster Khan Academy Lite implementation.

As before, I'm still in Blessington, in Florida, and a Justice-Impacted Individual at this time.
The letter reads:

Tablet Application Updates for AR DOC

July 28, 2025

Greetings from Securus.
We are reaching out to let you know about some exciting updates that are NOW AVAILABLE on your personal tablet device. Please take note of the Good Time Classes for each of the following updates.

Phone Calling on Tablets (Added for Good Time Classes 3 and 4; Classes 1 and 2 Had Access Previously)
Avoid potentially long wait times at wall-mounted phones by using your tablet to call loved ones. To place a phone call from your tablet:
1. Open the CONNECTME application.
2. Tap the GREEN PHONE ICON at the bottom of your screen.
3. Under Call Type, select DEBIT, ensure the desired CALL LANGUAGE is selected, enter your PIN, enter the PHONE NUMBER you would like to call, and tap the GREEN CALL BUTTON again.
4. Your call will attempt to connect. When you have finished speaking, tap the RED HANG UP button.

Media Store Premium Content (Added for Good Time Class 3; Classes 1 and 2 Had Access Previously)
The Media Store application is your source for all things "entertainment." A wide variety of music, games, movies, and TV shows are available through our various a la carte (individual) purchase or rental options. To purchase or rent content from the Media Store:
1. Open the MEDIA STORE application.
2. Choose the TYPE OF MEDIA you are interested in by using the tabs along the top of the screen and browsing the selection of available options for purchase or rent.
3. After selecting content, tap the RENT or PURCHASE button. CONFIRM the transaction amount to be deducted from your Securus Debit account. Tap PURCHASE and enter your PIN to complete the transaction.
4. You can manage the premium content you purchased or rented after your download is complete. Tap PROFILE (upper right corner of the Media Store app) and choose from the available options: My Music, My Games, My Movies, My TV Shows, or My Subscriptions. Enjoy your new premium content!

Game Pass Subscription (New Option for Good Time Classes 1, 2, and 3)
As an alternative to purchasing individual games through the Media Store, Game Pass is our newest gaming subscription, offering more than 1,000 titles spanning a variety of genres.
Unlike a la carte (individual) purchasing, Game Pass allows you to pick any game in the subscription to play. If you don't like a particular game, simply uninstall the game and move on to a different one with no requirement to submit a ticket or request a refund. With Game Pass, you have multiple subscription levels to choose from: $1.99 for a single day subscription, $6.59 for a 7-day subscription, $14.99 for a 14-day subscription, and $23.99 for a 30-day subscription (*prices exclude sales tax).
All subscription packages auto-renew by default, but you can easily cancel at any time while still enjoying the remaining time on your subscription package. Once the subscription period ends, the games you downloaded via the Game Pass will be removed from your tablet.
To subscribe to Game Pass:
1. Open the MEDIA STORE application.
2. Tap SUBSCRIPTIONS in the tabs along the top of the screen and then select the GAMES category.
3. You can preview the games included in the Game Pass and tap SUBSCRIBE next to the desired option. Then, enter your PIN to confirm your selection. Note: If this is your first Game Pass subscription, you must review and accept the subscription agreement. Tap the ACCEPT button if you agree to the terms. This document can be found in the My Agreements app once you've accepted.
4. To download a game, tap EXPLORE GAMES in the Game Pass tab and then tap REDEEM alongside the game you wish to try. Enter your PIN to confirm the selection. The game will begin downloading -- this may take several minutes and you'll see a message stating Install Successful upon completion. You can then access the game via the games icon on your tablet home screen or by tapping MY GAMES in the Media Store. Happy gaming!

To cancel your subscription, open the MY ACCOUNT application on your tablet's home screen and tap SUBSCRIPTIONS at the bottom of the screen. Tap to open the GAME PASS subscription and then UNSUBSCRIBE. We hope you enjoy these updated tablet offerings!

With appreciation, Your Securus Team

What's better?

Pretty much everything.

Calling from my tablet would be amazing: the wall phone situation here is a bank of four payphone rejects in a noisy day room, which I covered in passing. While I can now confirm we did drop to 13.5¢ per minute for our calls (while losing the absolutely vital weekly 5-minute freebie), the lack of dialing from my tablet precludes my usage of the phone on most days due to the level of noise in the dorm.
This would also require our phone provider to become Securus, as well as headsets with microphones built in; an implication of a better quality headset arises, as Securus would want to drive use of the feature so they can make money from calls.

Having tiered access would additionally incentivize better behavior in place of the commonplace stabbings and fights that happen out in the jungles of Blessington. Knowing you can lose access to something that actually matters to you tends to goad in the direction necessary to maintain it.

But you have Gain Time?

Yes and No.

I get Gain Time at a maximum rate of 10 days earned per month, not to exceed a reduction of 15% of my sentence. On a 15 year sentence, I must do 12 years, 9 months, which means 2 years, 3 months worth of Gain Time can be earned at a rate of 120 days per year. If nothing changes, I reach that cap after 6.8 years. When I hit the cap, what's my incentive?

That's right: In Florida, I have little incentive beyond maintaining just enough to simply earn zero gain time. Laying in bed, watching 2 Broke Girls at 8:30, and learning how to play Pinochle is good enough for that.

But I don't want to learn how to play Pinochle. I don't want to watch most television outside of BBC America's showings of Planet Earth and similar shows, the news, and the occasional science fiction movie.

While we don't get it,

I'm sure someone understands the importance of improving communication between those of us inside and their loved ones outside the fences and wires.
In short, I think you get it.
Arkansas' Department of Corrections sure seems to.

If only Florida would follow suit... :)