Advocates and family members urged Nevada legislators on Tuesday to scrutinize the Department of Corrections’ new offender tablet program, saying high per‑minute calling and text fees and technical limitations are shifting costs to families and blocking access to programming.

Public commenters including Leslie Turner of the Foundation for Family and Juvenile Community Health and Nick Schepak of the Fines & Fees Justice Center said the vendor ViaPath raised rates after tablet rollout and that ancillary charges — like high fees to add funds or per‑text costs — significantly increase household spending. “They raised the rates from 6¢ to 10¢ a minute,” Turner told the committee, adding that text and deposit fees can make modest deposits effectively unaffordable. Schepak said, at 5¢ a minute for entertainment, “it would cost $2,190 a year for 2 hours a day” at the higher streaming rate compared with much lower bulk pricing promised in procurement materials.

Families also described technical and access problems. Leila Garcia said call quality is worse than with prior systems and reported incompatibility with AT&T numbers that left relatives unreachable during long rural drives. Dora Martinez, who uses a guide dog, said the tablets “are not accessible for people who are blind or visually impaired” because the devices lack talk‑back and other assistive functions.

Department of Corrections officials told the committee the vendor installed additional broadband and resolved earlier connection and carrier‑blocking problems. NDOC explained that phone rates changed multiple times after the Federal Communications Commission issued and then altered a rule limiting commissions on inmate calls; Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) language also requires a 10¢ per‑minute charge in some places, the agency said. NDOC said it has not yet received a first‑year revenue check from the vendor because the vendor’s contract and statement of work do not yet include negotiated revenue terms, and that any bulk‑rate discounts promised in the vendor’s RFP are not in the executed contract.

NDOC further told the panel it expects new FCC guidance in the first quarter and plans to renegotiate contract terms and revisit NAC provisions once federal policy stabilizes. The agency said some new programs are being added to tablets at no charge (for example, live religious services and an app the vendor will provide), and that others — including clinician‑driven mental‑health tools and substance‑use supports — will require funding and possibly general‑fund support rather than relying on inmate welfare revenues.

Committee members pressed for concrete numbers and contract documents. Multiple members said the committee needs projections showing how different per‑minute or bulk pricing scenarios will affect the inmate welfare fund and the department’s staffing and services. NDOC committed to providing a list of tablet apps and to seeking usage and revenue figures from the vendor. The committee also heard calls from advocates for clearer accessibility requirements and for the state to use procurement leverage, where available, to secure low‑cost bulk options for families.

The Judiciary Committee did not take formal action; members said they will continue oversight work during the interim and requested NDOC and state purchasing documents for follow‑up.

The committee will revisit the tablet implementation and vendor revenue projections after the FCC issues its forthcoming rulemaking and as the department supplies contract statements of work and usage data.