After they’re given a uniform, a bunk and a blanket, Kentucky prison inmates get a sturdy computer tablet from which they can buy digital media products , such as email and video visits with their loved ones, plus games, music and movies.
The tablets generate tens of millions of dollars in revenue that is split between Securus Technologies, which provides the tablets, and the Kentucky Department of Corrections, which provides the captive audience.
Since 2020, the company has paid the state $22.3 million, according to financial data the Herald-Leader obtained under the Kentucky Open Records Act.
Securus’ finances are not publicly disclosed. The company is owned by Platinum Equity, a private equity firm with over $48 billion in assets.
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“To me, the tablets are a double-edged sword,” said Lottie Tanner, a Kentucky prisoner’s wife and activist with the nonprofit Advocacy Based on Lived Experience , which works to restore voting rights to former felons, among other civic causes.