JPay Makes Free KA Lite Videos Available in all Ohio Prisons to Improve the Chances of Offender Success Once Released
Inmates can choose from thousands of videos and watch educational content on tablets, utilizing their time to learn and engage with technology
COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With prison reform prominent in national discourse – today marks the beginning of National Reentry Week – rehabilitation and reintegration have never received so much attention. And studies show that one of the most important determinants of offenders' post-release success is the level and quality of education they receive while incarcerated.
Inmate education isn't new, but digital inmate education is, and it has the potential to transform corrections on a massive scale. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) has been an early adopter of corrections education technology, and now Ohio prison inmates have access to thousands of free KA Lite educational videos, an open-source offline software that mimics the online experience of Khan Academy®. This means an entire state prison population now has the option to learn how to do any type of remedial math, understand science, comprehend business concepts and much, much more.
With KA Lite, inmates can search thousands of instructional and educational videos, and download the videos they want onto their JPay tablets – all for free. The tablets provide inmates the flexibility to learn at their own pace, on their own time, so they can utilize their time to educate and rehabilitate themselves.
Since adopting KA Lite on April 11th, more than 26,000 videos have been downloaded by inmates in Ohio. Mathematics and science videos have been the most popular.
"Just about every prison has a library or some basic level of education, but that's not enough," said Ryan Shapiro, CEO of JPay. "By utilizing technology, we can make major progress in reducing recidivism by educating inmates on a massive scale. Think about it: we now offer Ohio state prisoners access to thousands of educational videos, courses and more, which gives them a far better chance of succeeding once released. Studies show that education will have a significant impact on the state's recidivism levels and will ultimately reduce Ohio's prison population. When this technology is implemented across every state we'll be talking about a substantial and long term decrease in America's prison population."
Research proves that education reduces recidivism, which is why JPay has gone "all in" on education initiatives, so states like Ohio can enable learning for all inmates. Providing inmates with the opportunity to earn college credits and now offering access to free educational videos are examples of JPay's commitment to help reform corrections and prepare offenders for success upon release.
About JPay
JPay, a Securus Technologies Company, designs, builds and deploys its technology to prisons and jails across the country, establishing correspondence to help educate and rehabilitate offenders. Serving more than 1.9 million offenders and parolees in 34 states, JPay makes the corrections process more convenient for offenders and their loved ones, while modernizing processes and increasing intelligence capabilities for corrections facilities. Products include money transfer services, tablets, email and video communications, education, games, music and more.
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SOURCE JPay
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