Internet Access for Prisoners

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Internet Access for Prisoners

• annotated webliography
• compiled by Melisa Gilbert
• Correctional Education Association (CEA) 2008
  International Conference
• Denver, Colorado USA
• use the ? key or Page Dn to go forward.

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Click on the speaker to hear an introduction

• Hello, and welcome to my annotated
  webliography. On this CD, you will find a
  collection of resources that can help you explore
  the topic of internet access for prisoners. It
  was also created as a way to help correctional
  educators and librarians prepare for a future
  that has already arrived for the world outside of
  prison. The future Im talking about is the
  formation of a society that has become dependent
  on the internet as a way to survive and succeed
  in life. People all over the world now use the
  internet for a wide variety of tasks and
  activities. The internet is quickly becoming as
  much a part of daily life as paying bills, buying
  groceries, and watching videos with your friends
  and family. In fact, people now use the internet
  to do all those things, and much, much more.
  Access to online resources - and the skills to
  use them effectively - are an important part of
  surviving in an information society, as well as
  achieving personal goals and dreams.
• use the ? key or Page Dn to go forward.

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Click on the speaker to continue hearingthe
introduction

• I would like to say two things before I explain
  how the webliography is organized. One - you
  have a valuable perspective that needs to be
  considered when policies are written for the
  prisons where you work. You probably already
  realize that you have a great impact on the lives
  of many people, every day. However, you may
  often feel like an insignificant cog in the great
  wheel of government or administration. But I
  believe you can improve your chances of being
  heard and influencing prison policies if you
  continue to educate yourself and foster
  relationships with people in your organization.
  The second point I want to make is that educators
  and librarians have a unique opportunity to
  provide people with some structure and training
  on how to use internet resources effectively. We
  can teach people how to do more with the internet
  and how to use it as a tool for succeeding in the
  free world, rather than continuing in a cycle of
  crime and imprisonment. There are plenty of
  people in the free world who never receive this
  type of training and never truly master these
  skills, and this is something we can do to give
  ex-felons a chance at making it in the world.
• use the ? key or Page Dn to go forward.

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Click on the speaker to hear the remainderof the
introduction

• And now I would like to tell you a few things
  about how this webliography works. You can
  continue to use the downward arrow or Page Down
  keys on your keyboard to go forward through the
  slides. If you want to go back, just use the
  upward arrow or the Page Up key. As you go
  through the pages, you will see a series of seven
  questions. After each question, a short list of
  references appears. Each reference includes the
  name, year of publication, and a live link to the
  web page that corresponds. The links are in blue
  so you will know where to click. There are also
  brief descriptions of why each source has been
  included.
• If you have any problems with the CD, or if
  there is a resource you think I need to add,
  please feel free to contact me. I can also set
  you up with more copies of the webliography if
  you need them. My contact info appears on the
  last slide of the presentation. I hope you enjoy
  looking at some of these great web sites. This
  concludes the introductory portion of the
  webliography.
• use the ? key or Page Dn to go forward.

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Table of Contents(you can go directly to any
single question by clicking on it)

• Is the internet a necessary tool for survival and
  success in todays world?
• Why should incarcerated people have access to
  online resources?
• Why, and how, should inmates access to online
  resources be limited?
• What kind of online information and training
  would be most helpful to incarcerated people?
• What is already being done to address this issue
  in the United States?
• What is already being done to address this issue
  around the world?
• How can we provide access to online resources
  without compromising safety and security?

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Question One

• Is the internet a necessary tool for success in
  todays world?
• the Internet has thoroughly penetrated the
  American psyche, culture, and economy (quote
  from p. 97 of The Digital Future Report
  Surveying the Digital Future, Year Four)

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• Pew Internet and American Life Project (2008)
• http//www.pewinternet.org
• Go here to view Reports, Presentations, and Data
  about how people in American society are use the
  internet. The project is nonpartisan and takes
  no position on policy issues (PIALP Mission
  Statement). The source is useful because it can
  help everyone understand the extent to which our
  use of the internet is becoming integrated into
  everyday life. Be sure to look at this chart
  that ranks most popular online activities
• http//www.pewinternet.org/trends/Internet_Activi
  ties_2.15.08.htm
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting (2002).
  Connected to the future.
• http//www.cpb.org/stations/reports/connected
• The CPB studied internet use among children and
  found that significant growth spurts occurred
  between 2000 and 2002. Read this report to learn
  more about the differences in internet use across
  ethnicities, income levels, and point of access.
  There is also good information about the digital
  divide as well as interesting statistics about
  children spending more time on the internet than
  watching television.

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• University of Southern California Annenberg
  School. The Center for the Digital Future
  (2008). Internet project.
• http//www.digitalcenter.org
• There is a wealth of information in the 2008
  report and past reports produced from the ongoing
  Internet Project conducted by this center. The
  study is longitudinal and global in its coverage.
  The 2008 report focuses especially on the
  development of social activity and networking
  online. (Please note, at this time, only
  highlights are available free online the full
  report is available for purchase.) The 2004
  report has an informative section about internet
  and email in the workplace.
• U.S. Census Bureau. Computer Use and Ownership,
  Current Population Survey Reports (2003).
• http//www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/compu
  ter.html

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Question Two

• Why should incarcerated people have access to
  online resources?

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• Lehmann, V. Locke, J. (2005). Guidelines for
  library services to prisoners. 3rd ed.
• International Federation of Library Associations
  and Institutions
• IFLA Professional Reports, No. 92
• http//www.ifla.org/VII/s9/nd1/iflapr-92.pdf
• Read this article to learn about international
  guidelines for prison library services and to
  inform local policy making.
• U.S. Department of Commerce. Economics and
  Statistics Administration. National
  Telecommunications and Information Administration
  (2000). Falling through the net toward digital
  inclusion.
• http//www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fttn00/Falling.ht
  m47
• Read this report to learn more about patterns in
  computer and internet use by households,
  individuals, and people with disabilities. The
  authors suggest that it is critical for every
  citizen to master computer and internet skills,
  that such mastery supports the economic growth of
  the country, and that every citizen should be
  guaranteed inclusion in the digital economy.

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• United Nations Educational, Scientific and
  Cultural Organization (1994). UNESCO Public
  Library Manifesto. (This document is also
  available in other languages)
• http//www.unesco.org/webworld/libraries/manifesto
  s/libraman.html
• Read about the types of services and materials
  that public libraries should provide, (including
  development of information and computer literacy
  skills) and note that people in prison are
  included in the list of user groups who should
  still be served even though they are unable to
  access the public library in the usual way.
• International Federation of Library Associations
  and Institutions (2002). IFLA Internet
  Manifesto. (This document is also available in
  other languages)
• http//www.ifla.org/III/misc/internetmanif.htm
• Read more about the role of libraries and
  librarians in providing free and unlimited access
  to the internet through library service to every
  individual in a nations population, as well as
  removing barriers to such access.
• Shirley, Glennor (2004). Prison libraries and
  the internet. Behind the walls _at_ your library
  Library Service in Prisons, Column 2
• http//www.ala.org/ala/olos/outreachresource/priso
  ncolumn2.cfm

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Question Three

• Why, and how, should inmates access to online
  resources be limited?

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• Computer Crime Intellectual Property Section
• United States Department of Justice
• http//www.cybercrime.gov
• Go here to read all the latest news and
  information about computer and internet-related
  crime in the U.S. and around the world.
• United States Department of Justice (1997).
  Report on the availability of bombmaking
  information.
• http//www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/bombmakin
  ginfo.html
• Most people already realize that a variety of
  instructional manuals and information about
  criminal activities is available on the internet.
  This report is just one source for some specific
  examples. The report is also representative of
  the governments perspective on the availability
  of such materials in terms of free speech vs.
  national security.
• Turner v. Safley, 482 U. S. 78 (1987)
• Text and explanation of case can be located
  easily with a search engine.
• This citation refers to a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court
  case. The decision set a legal precedent for
  future decisions about prisoners rights. In
  particular, when a prison regulation impinges on
  inmates constitutional rights, the regulation is
  valid if it is reasonably related to legitimate
  penological interests ( II). The determination
  of reasonableness is based on four factors.

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Question Four

• What kind of online information and training
  would be most helpful to incarcerated people?

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• Campbell, Diane (2005/6). The Context of the
  Information Behavior of Prison Inmates.
  Progressive Librarian, no. 26
• http//libr.org/pl/26_Campbell.html
• Read this article to learn more about why
  offenders look for information that is relevant
  to their immediate social situation, rather than
  using the library to prepare for reintegration
  into society.
• Chatman, Elfreda (1999). A Theory of Life in the
  Round. Journal of the American Society for
  Information Science, 50, p. 207.
• sorry, no public link found
• Chatman studied the social factors of life in a
  womens prison and offers conclusions about how
  prison culture influences prisoners views of
  information. She describes a number of
  observations that could help a correctional
  librarian meet the needs of her patrons,
  especially if the librarian is willing to accept
  that she serves the patrons as an outsider. The
  librarian must also accept that in order for
  something to be true, in prison, it must be
  validated by the social norms of the small world,
  rather than the outside world. The reliability
  of a source may not be as important as the
  potential for use. A life in the round i.e.,
  in prison is one lived within an acceptable
  degree of approximation and imprecision. It is a
  life lived with a high tolerance for ambiguity
  (Chatman p.213).

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• MORE IDEAS...
• training for email, instant message
• training for online bill pay and personal finance
  tools
• keyboarding tutorials
• training for internet and computer safety,
  protection of identity
• consumer health databases or publications
• AA, NA CA meeting locators
• work force center websites
• classified ads housing and employment
• www.hud.gov (U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban
  Development)
• podcasts or audio-visual streaming on variety of
  topics
• digitized libraries, online art/science/history
  museums, etc
• computerized drivers test
• online parenting class
• transportation schedules, costs, general
  information
• newspapers and news sites
• online dictionary (such as www.onelook.com)

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Question Five

• What is already being done to address this issue
  in the United States?

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• Maryland Department of Corrections library system
  produced a CD-Rom entitled Discovering the
  Internet _at_ your library, which provides offline
  instruction about how to use the internet. For
  more information about the CD-Rom, email Glennor
  Shirley
• gshirley_at_msde.state.md.us
• Wisconsin Department of Corrections has set up an
  inmate-only network connecting 1200 computers
  at 29 different facilities. Offenders can access
  a shared online catalog for all the libraries in
  the WDOC system, and they can also view selected
  web sites with information considered vital for
  parole planning and reintegration. The network
  is made secure with firewall and staff
  supervision.
• Colorado Correctional Libraries administrative
  team has produced the first in a series of DVDs
  about modern services provided in public
  libraries in order to raise the awareness of
  ex-felons seeking support for re-entry in the
  community. The DVD presents information about
  using the internet specifically for
  reintegration-related activities. For more
  information about the DVD, contact Diana Reese,
  Institutional Libraries Coordinator
• reese_D_at_cde.state.co.us

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Question Six

• What is already being done to address this issue
  around the world?

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• Council of Europe http//www.coe.int
• Go here to view the European Prison Rules
  (https//wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id955747). The
  rules address the topics of communication with
  the outside world, education, and library
  services but do not specifically allow or
  prohibit internet access.
• Vocational education and training for adult
  prisoners and offenders in Australia Research
  findings (2007). Edited by Susan Dawe.
• http//www.ncver.edu.au/students/publications/1789
  .html
• The book summarizes research on vocational
  education training in Australias prison system.
  According to the book, structured access to the
  internet is allowed for prisoners enrolled
  through distance education in tertiary studies
  (p. 131). This program is supported in part by
  funding called User Choice, provided by the Dept.
  of Education. The book is available online for no
  charge as both PDF and Word formats. A print
  version of the book is also available for
  purchase (59.95)
• Bloggers desde prisión http//bloggersdesdeprisio
  n.blogspot.com
• The entries on this blog are written (in spanish)
  by inmates at the Juvenile Detention Facility in
  Barcelona. This project was made possible by
  Lola Burgos, the librarian at the Penitentiary
  Centre, and Aída García, and Jorge Franganillo,
  faculty of Library and Information Science at the
  University of Barcelona.

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Question Seven

• How can we provide access to online resources
  without compromising safety and security?

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• Here are just a few samples of corporate websites
  that advertise various types of software to limit
  or monitor internet use. There are many more!
• InternetSafety.com (2007).
• http//www.internetsafety.com
• This is a corporate website that advertises
  software and also publishes internet safety tips.
  Their product Safe Eyes has received good
  ratings by PC Magazine in the category for
  parental control software.
• Wavecrest Computing Intelligent Web-use
  Management tools (2008)
• http//www.wavecrest.net
• GearBox Computers (2007)
• http//www.gearboxcomputers.com
• Advanced Technologies Group, Inc. (2007)
• http//www.a-t-g.com
• offers an email program that is designed for
  correctional facilitie
• PageNest (free) and PageNest Pro (purchase)
  (2008)
• http//pagenest.com
• Previously called WebStripper, this is software
  that allows user to download web content to local
  storage

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Did it help?

• This webliography was designed to help people who
  work in correctional institutions to
• gather information from reputable sources
• form an opinion about the topic
• use compelling evidence to support their opinions
• be more persuasive when they present their ideas
• design and implement new and intelligent policies
  for education and information services to
  prisoners in the age of technology

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Contact Me

• Melisa Gilbert
• email daisymiller_at_bluebottle.com
• mail Arrowhead Correctional Center Library
• PO Box 300, Cañon City, CO 81215
• more copies of the webliography
• comments, questions, suggested resources
• tell me about projects you are working on