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House panel presses DOC on $3 million plan to bring Wi‑Fi, better tablets to state prisons
Summary
The House Corrections & Institutions Committee heard DOC officials describe a rough tablet rollout and a plan to expand Wi‑Fi across facilities, asking for $3 million in capital funds and scheduling security, facility and paper‑to‑digital assessments aimed to finish by August.
Montpelier — The House Corrections & Institutions Committee heard testimony April 17 from Department of Corrections officials about plans to expand Wi‑Fi inside state correctional facilities and to address widespread problems with vendor‑managed tablets used by incarcerated people.
“The install didn’t go as planned,” said Krista Marie, Operational Systems Director for the Department of Corrections, acknowledging supply and rollout problems with the new tablet system and saying vendor technicians are working in Vermont to fix devices and implement a direct ticket system for paid features.
Committee members reported problem reports from a recent visit to St. Albans. A committee member said they heard inmates and staff describe the devices as unreliable: “these tablets are garbage — they work 5 or 10% of the time,” the member said, summarizing…
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