Lake County giving free tablets to jail inmates, but some say there's a catch

Most jails issue inmates little more than an orange jumpsuit, slip-on shoes and some sparse bedding when they arrive at the lockup.

Detainees at the Lake County jail soon will get something quite a bit more extravagant: tablet computers.

The county recently struck a deal with Texas-based Securus Technologies for 600 tablets that will be distributed to inmates for free. They can be used to make phone calls and video visits, search for jobs, research the law, and view educational and mental health materials.

Inmates also can access a limited amount of free music, games, movies and books, and buy "premium" content, including additional entertainment.

More on that later, but first the good news: It's not your tax dollars paying for this first-of-its-kind deal in the suburbs. Securus expects to make enough money on the services inmates buy that it's not only giving away the devices but sharing the revenues.

In year one of the two-year deal, Lake County will collect a $600,000 commission on phone calls, 30 percent commission on video visits and 25 percent commission on purchases, according to the sheriff's office.

It's also a good deal for inmates, officials say. With the tablets, the cost of a phone call drops from the current 18-25 cents per minute to 15 cents per minute. And the jail will eliminate the $3.95 fee it imposed every time inmates added money to their accounts to pay for calls and video visits.

"The tablets will allow inmates in Lake County to begin better planning for reintegration into society by searching for jobs and accessing mental health information," Sheriff Mark Curran said in an announcement of the Securus contract.

A win-win-win for the county, Securus and inmates? Not so fast, say advocacy groups.

<h3 class="leadin">Nothing's free

Organizations like the Prison Policy Initiative say such deals can be fraught with problems, particularly for inmates who in some instances rack up huge charges for services or pay way above market prices for e-books, music and other content.

According to a 2017 report by the PPI, private companies that supply goods and telephone services to correctional facilities bring in nearly $3 billion a year.

"We hope the focus (of tablet contracts) is on keeping the cost of calls low and helping people keep in touch with loved ones, which is critically important for people in jail," PPI spokeswoman Wanda Bertram told us.

Advocates also worry that jails and prisons use the tablets as justification to roll back on other inmate services, such as libraries and education programming.

<h3 class="leadin">A senator weighs in

Concerns over costs to inmates and their families has even caught the eye of U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth. The Hoffman Estates Democrat has sponsored a bill giving the Federal Communications Commission authority to regulate what companies such as Securus can charge for phone and video visits.

The FCC currently can regulate rates only for interstate calls and has no say on rates for other telecommunications services. Duckworth has called this a "market failure."

"We know that people who keep in touch with their loved ones recidivate less. We should be doing what we can to make that (visiting) easier," said her spokesman, Ben Garmisa.

<h3 class="leadin">Remembering Choice

Monday marks the eighth anniversary of the death of Choice Taylor, a popular Maine West High School student struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver as he walked across a road in his hometown of Des Plaines.

Police we spoke with this week say it's still an open investigation, but they're no closer to identifying the driver of the truck that hit Choice, 17, as he walked home from a work shift at a nearby Jewel-Osco store.

In the weeks after the crash, police chased dozens of leads, handed out hundreds of flyers, reached out to trucking firms across the region and worked with eyewitnesses to create a composite sketch of the driver. At this point, there's not much more they can do beyond hoping someone comes forward with crucial information.

"Any information that comes in, we will follow up on," Des Plaines police Cmdr. Christopher Mierzwa told us. "A case like this, we keep open, but unfortunately nothing has come in."

Choice was hit about 6 p.m. Nov. 5, 2010, as he tried to cross Algonquin Road about 50 feet east of Third Avenue. Witnesses said he fell and was rolled over by the westbound semi, which was not towing a trailer at the time. The truck's cab was described as a dull red or maroon color.

According to witnesses, the driver stopped about a half-block past the accident site, got out to check for damage, then got back into the cab and drove off.

Mierzwa said it's unclear if the driver knew he'd hit someone, making the task of finding him even more difficult.

"If he didn't know he'd hit someone, he probably didn't tell anyone about it," he said.

The driver is described as a white male, between 5 feet, 8 inches and 6 feet tall, with a "wiry" or thin build, a goatee and short brown or black hair.

Anyone with information that could help is asked to call Des Plaines police at (847) 391-5400.

<h3 class="leadin">Award winner

Kudos to Lake Zurich officer Przemyslaw Struga, who on Tuesday received the Director's Award of Distinction from the Illinois State Police for his actions to save the life of an off-duty state trooper.

Struga was called to the trooper's house May 15, 2017, and found the fellow law enforcement officer unconscious and not breathing. He performed a sternum rub and CPR until the Lake Zurich Fire Department arrived.

The trooper was taken to the hospital and survived. An ER doctor later said Struga's actions led to a "successful outcome."

"I am very proud of Officer Struga," Lake Zurich Chief Steve Husak said in an announcement of the award this week.

"His ability to assess this situation and act quickly saved a life."

<h3 class="leadin">Berlin heading state group

DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin has been named the next president of the Illinois State's Attorney's Association, which represents the state's attorney's offices in all 102 of the state's counties.

The association provides policy guidance and lobbies on behalf of county prosecutors on issues such as criminal justice reform and other legislation.

"Together we provide a unified voice in Springfield in criminal justice matters and in doing so, have accomplished great things for Illinois' criminal justice system," Berlin said. "I look forward to a productive term as president."

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