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An Open Dialogue to the Florida Department of Corrections: Podcasts v. Information on Tablets

To Whom it May Inspire:

I am one of the many many sequestered behind the curlicues of concertina wire in the state of Florida. I currently have access to one of the Securus JP6s tablets that are haphazardly issued to residents of your system in Florida, and I could not help but notice this:

In our Podcasts app, I have the option to subscribe to a podcast named Death or Prison. I choose not to: I prefer science, technology, and news when I do choose to spend my energy to listen to a podcast, strongly preferring to read my information.

From time to time, however, I get an e-message telling me that an episode of Death or Prison has been uploaded to the FYI app. Some of these episodes are videos. I still don't watch, but a thought occurs to me:

Your Podcasts app is a modified version of AntennaPod. AntennaPod happens to handle videos decently well. Why not talk to your podcasts provider and ask for the low resolution video feed of that Death or Prison podcast to be added as a subscription option, so that you can stop cluttering up the FYI app with less informative content?

After all, I would, as a ward of the state, look to FYI to provide me with information on what to do to manage sicknesses (wash your hands, brush your teeth, don't share food, avoid filthy chow hall trays that smell like sewage), learn about education options (what camps offer GED? How about college? Vocations?), what camps exist in the state with what programs (not every camp has an intensive outpatient treatment program for substance abuse; some want this program), maybe even access the current existing banned books list so I can save your staff (and my loved ones) headaches (and money), look at Florida Administrative Code Title 33 ("Chapter 33" in local parlance)...
Y'know... informative things.

None of the things I have asked for exist in any form on this tablet at the time I composed this blog post. The closest one gets is via Edovo, where there are courses designed to help one prepare for the GED exams, as well as ready up for taking CLEP exams once on the streets (thank you, @Edovo).

So, with no intention of slight to the producers of 'Death or Prison', this podcast does not fit into the realm of informational needs that residents ask about all the time based on my lived experiences.

  • I am asked about programs at this camp frequently.
  • I am asked about portions of Title 33 regularly.
  • I am begged to put in a good word for someone who wants their GED weekly.
  • I get asked about whether someone should maybe write a sick call to see a nurse -- look at my
    EUGH COVER THAT UP SEE A NURSE PLEASE
    with enough regularity that maybe I should have pursued a nursing degree of some sort.

So I ask that we resume the use of FYI as an informational application, let the Podcasts app handle podcasting (its specialty), and enhance the overall utility of the tablets by digitally presenting more of the content that we residents should have access to.

I would be positively delighted to share an image of how this could be beneficial in a respectful multidirectional dialogue. Ask us how!