HB 35-PRISONERS: ELECTRONIC DEVICE ACCESS/USE  3:38:44 PM CHAIR CARRICK announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 35, "An Act relating to the use and possession of electronic devices by prisoners." [Before the committee was CSHB 35(CRA).] 3:38:52 PM The committee took an at-ease from 3:38 p.m. to 3:41 p.m. 3:41:16 PM REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT, as prime sponsor, presented CSHB 35(CRA). She explained that this bill concept has been around before and this was the third legislature that handled this topic. She said that the proposed legislation would bring Alaska into alignment with 48 other states that allow the use of electronic tablets in a Department of Corrections (DOC) facility. The goal of the bill is to reduce recidivism through additional access to training and family visitation. She said that it would help inmates learn how to use tablet devices as well, common tools in the public space. The goal is to allow inmates to leave corrections on a better footing to reduce the chances of returning to a correctional facility. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT said that security threats could be reduced with the proposed legislation. This includes increasing access to telehealth options and the reduction in transport to medical care facilities. She noted that a DOC pilot program was underway that allowed limited use of electronic tablets and reports indicated that it was having positive outcomes. She said that since this allowance has not been addressed in Alaska Statute (AS), DOC cannot provide electronic tablets to all the states correctional facilities. She said that the pilot program made determinations for how this tool could be deployed at a larger scale. She clarified that these electronic tablets were not free access to the Internet nor a luxury item that had games and other entertainment access. Access to library materials, training courses, telehealth, and family visitation is permitted. She said that she wanted to ensure that policies were in place to give DOC the latitude needed to provide these devices but with sufficient guardrails to ensure appropriate use amongst inmates. 3:44:38 PM ELLA LUBIN, Staff, Representative Rebecca Himschoot, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Himschoot, prime sponsor, gave the sectional analysis for CSHB 35(CRA) [included in the committee file], which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: Section 1: Adds an exemption (I) to the prohibition against electronic devices for prisoners. It also adds television show ratings to the list of banned movie ratings. Subparagraph (I) adds additional accepted uses for electronic devices including use for rehabilitative and case plan purposes, legal material access, health care access, or another purpose identified by the commissioner in regulation. Subparagraph (4) adds language that prohibits correctional centers from charging fees for electronic device use. Section 2: States that electronic devices may not be used to replace in-person visitation. Section 3: Adds clarifying language regarding the applicability of the effective date. CHAIR CARRICK stated that the committee would hear invited testimony. 3:46:31 PM TERI TIBBETT, Coordinator, Alaska Reentry Partnership; Co-Chair, Juneau Reentry Coalition, began invited testimony by talking about the coalition's purpose of helping people transition out of incarceration and back into the public community. She gave a PowerPoint presentation [hard copy included in the committee file], titled "Alaska Reentry Partnership Presentation to House State Affairs Committee 3/27/25." She brought attention to slides 4 and 5, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: HB 35 - Access to Digital Technology in Prisons • HB 35 removes a barrier in state law that restricts inmates inside correctional facilities from utilizing certain electronic devicessuch as computers or digital tabletsfor improved access to rehabilitative programming and activities. • The Alaska Reentry Partnership supports efforts to expand digital technology in prisons for vocational training, education, treatment and recovery, reentry planning, housing and employment assistance, telehealth, peer support, faith-based, Tribal, visitation, and more. • Rehabilitative programming increases the likelihood of success in the community after release. Successful reentry means safer communities. • In today's world, people need to be 'digitally literate' for basic functioningto fill out an application, apply for a job, banking, communication, and more. People who have been incarcerated for decades need basic digital skills to function in today's world. • The Alaska Reentry Partnership supports DOC's efforts to improve digital infrastructure to best provide safe and secure access to telehealth, video teleconferencing, closed circuit education channels, digital tablets, computer labs, and more. MS. TIBIT brought attention to a graph on slide 6, titled "Offender Returning to Incarceration Within 3 Years of Release," which shows a graphical summary of decreasing recidivism rates from 2015 to 2021. She said that there was not any state data available to group data from reentry efforts and recidivism rates. However, data from nationwide efforts regarding reentry efforts suggested positive outcomes. On the additional slides she discussed reentry efforts with the State of Alaska (SOA). She concluded the presentation by commenting that national recidivism rates are 23 percent lower than 2008 and commented that achieving these rates were due to changes in policy and increasing opportunities and resources to support employment, behavioral healthcare, and housing. 3:54:43 PM BARBARA MONGAR, Coordinator, Mat-Su Reentry Coalition, began her invited testimony in support of CSHB 35(CRA). Representing the Mat-Su Reentry Coalition, she noted that she has worked as the coordinator for the group for the past five and a half years. The coalition consists of state agencies such as the Alaska Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Corrections (DOC), community substance treatment centers such as Set Free Alaska, Inc. and True North Recovery, Inc.; Mat-Su Health Services, Inc.; tribal agencies; and nonprofit and private community service agencies. She said that the close community partnership through the coalition has made it easier to provide wrap-around services. A reentry case manager starts planning with individuals scheduled for release at least 30 days before their release. These services include comprehensive case planning, housing support, employment support, parole and probation support, and referrals for substance and mental health treatment. She remarked that the case managers also assist individuals in obtaining clothing and hygiene items, applying for benefits such as Medicaid or food stamps, and accessing other services needed for post-incarceration success. MS. MONGAR said that the coalition supports HB 35 because the bill would help remove barriers that restrict inmates from utilizing certain electronic devices such as computers or digital tablets for improved access to rehabilitation activities and programs. She stated that early access to these services would increase the likelihood that individuals will successfully integrate into the community once they are released from incarceration. 3:57:07 PM BOBBY DORTON, Consultant, Healing Homes, began his invited testimony on CSHB 35(CRA) by talking about his experience while incarcerated. He noted that he was last incarcerated for over eight years; five years in a corrections facility and three years using an ankle monitor. He said that while incarcerated he wanted to learn how to read and did a lot of reading. Additionally, he engaged with some of the available programs for inmates such as the substance abuse program. He said that he "hungered" for a career once he was able to leave incarceration but felt that he did not have all the appropriate avenues available to study these different skills. He said that while there was a culinary program, it was limited in nature and not many people were selected, and it required being in the right institution. He did, however, mention that following his release a few more programs have been made available to inmates. MR. DORTON emphasized what he "could have been" if he were able to satiate his "hunger" for learning given the time he had available. He felt "warehoused" and "stored away" in prison. He said that a lot of money was spent on him to be incarcerated; he believed around $150 a day, and during this time he was ready to learn but everything was on hold. He said he had to wait to be released to begin training, school, and the ability to acquire a career that he wanted. He reiterated that while in prison, he could have been getting ready for a career but was instead "warehoused." MR. DORTON said that for the last seven years he has worked on facilitating reentry for inmates. He said that once many inmates are released, they are lost and often end up doing jobs that involve labor or other lines of work that do not fit their individual passions. This is largely due to the inability to train when incarcerated. He said that if training tablets were available in prison, then the "sky is the limit" and the educational opportunity for expanding career prospects was substantial. He opined that his educational level would have been much higher had these educational tools been available for him while incarcerated. He believed that expanding the educational tools for inmates would allow for reentry into careers and not just jobs. He said that many inmates' following incarceration are working in fast food venues or washing dishes. He said that many of these jobs do not last and there was risk of recidivism when placed in the wrong job category. He said that putting opportunities in place for inmates and trying to mold individuals in preparation for a career of choice would create a better Alaska. In conclusion, he said that the educational benefit to electronic tablets would be substantial in supporting reentry for incarcerated Alaskans. 4:02:48 PM REPRESENTATIVE STORY thanked the testifiers. She asked the bill sponsor and testifiers whether they knew what kind of security measures could be expected with electronic tablets as this was a point of concern for some people. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT said that Deputy Commissioner April Wilkerson could help address this question. She remarked that this type of device would be offline system to her understanding. 4:04:05 PM DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Corrections, in response to Representative Story, commented that security details were a concern for DOC as well. She said that the current pilot program is occurring at Highland Mountain Correctional Center. She said that DOC is utilizing a vendor that operates multiple corrections related network systems to provide electronic tablets to individuals in various correctional settings. She said that there is a structured and closed network that only allows departmentally approved content to be displayed on electronic tablets. She commented that the network is so "tight" that prisoners would not be able to take these tablets into the cells without disconnection occurring. She remarked that DOC is building trust with the devices and has faith in the possibilities of utilizing the tablets with the pilot program. She reiterated that the network was quite limited and restricted in use. REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked whether Ms. Wilkerson could elaborate on the current pilot program and how the electronic tablets were being utilized. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON remarked that the electronic tablet program at Highland Mountain Correctional Center was available to all offenders following orientation. The orientation consists of a medical and mental health assessment, an orientation video, an acknowledgment, and meeting with an institutional probation officer. She said that inmates are issued a unique personal identification number (PIN) that allows them access to the tablet. She said that the tablets have the digital law library, offender handbook, and allow for professional visitation with attorneys. She remarked that currently, visitation with friends and family was not allowed but electronic mail ("e-mail") can be received via a service paid by the sender, about half the price of a stamp. She said the tablets allow for instant messaging; however, these were monitored and tracked by staff in the facility. She said that the facility was piloting communication between the correctional superintendent and the population. She said that there had been a maintenance issue and the water had to be shut off. Notifications were made to inmates via the tablet regarding where bottled water would be stored, how long the water was out of service and other details. She remarked that the tablets can facilitate communication. DEPUTY COMMISIONER WILKERSON said that DOC was also piloting requests for information (RFI). The process is for the offender to get a piece of paper and write out and complete the form; the form goes in a box; a sergeant will collect that information and distribute it, whether to medical, to disciplinary, jobs, or wherever the request is going. She said that individuals on the back end of RFIs will write responses that return to the box. She said that this was a very manual process. She said that DOC is trying to streamline this process via the use of the electronic tablets. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON said that DOC is also converting the grievance process, which much like RFIs is a manually intensive process. She noted that manual processes for completing forms were still available for those who do not have or want a tablet for use. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON said that more recently DOC was looking at expanding the education that is available on the program. This includes career exploration and preparation, computer literacy, and other employment and work skills. She said that currently, educational materials are limited as they were just being deployed. DEPUTY COMMISIONER WILKERSON said that there is another program running out of Goose Creek Correctional Center following partnership with the courts. She said that this involved using tablets to engage in court proceedings to avoid transportation of inmates to and from courts. She said that DOC was in the process of bringing this service to Highland Mountain Correctional Center as well. She clarified that both facilities are using different tablets on separate networks. 4:11:09 PM REPRESENTATIVE STORY said that she was hoping to hear more about technical coding skills that incarcerated inmates could get when they reenter society but based on testimony it appeared the DOC was not quite there yet. She said that there are various network security companies in the United States, and she asked whether there could be any elaboration to what systems DOC uses. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON responded that DOC was not at the point at which it could offer coding education to inmates via the electronic tablets but wanted to get there. She recognized the nationwide workforce challenges that everyone is facing and expanding programming opportunities for the population could help. 4:13:13 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE said that the zero fiscal note concerned him. He said that he has researched these companies for why they provide electronic tablets at no cost. He compared the tablets to printers, where the front-end cost is cheap, but the back-end cost is where they make considerable money. He said all the Internet providers for these secure networks utilized by tablets make huge money off prisoners and the states. He asked whether there was a request for proposal (RFP) out for these types of electronic tablets. He understood that one of the providers charges 50 cents an email and four times as much if it has a video or picture attached. He reiterated that the costs can be huge with these types of devices. He asked whether there was an anticipated cost when moving forward to scale this type of service. He said that it was important to know what these back-end costs may be before moving forward with providing the service. He understood that these networks needed to be secure and asked for elaboration on what companies DOC has spoken with and what the anticipated costs may be. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON responded that the zero fiscal note attached to the proposed bill is because the legislation only gives the SOA the authority to use electronic tablets. Pending any final version of legislation, DOC is planning to evaluate how these tablets can be rolled out in the most beneficial fashion for the department while maintaining costs. She said that she envisioned the future use of an RFP and hopefully reducing expenditures and becoming more efficient, some of the savings could get redirected towards the cost of tablets. She noted that the cost of tablets at Highland Mountain Correctional Center is $60 per month per user and that it is based on current operations. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON said that most vendors such as JPay, Securus, and ViaPath can offer reduced costs or limited services based on the functions of the tablets. She said that DOC was waiting to see what the final form of the proposed legislation may be to get an RFP prepared to expand the current pilot program into other institutions. It would likely be a budget request in the future. 4:17:14 PM CHAIR CARRICK asked for explanation of cost avoidance in other areas regarding the use of electronic tablets. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON responded that reduced paper printing was one example of a cost avoidance since forms could be filled out digitally. She said that tablets would also reduce the manual burden of RFP requests around the facility and their distribution amongst personnel, freeing up this time, which would allow resources to be focused on other areas. Additionally, another area of savings would be document delivery, unless a hard copy is requested. She also speculated that visitation opportunities on the tablets could reduce in person visitation and reduce strain on staffing required for in- person accommodation. Lastly, he reiterated that telehealth and programming could reduce the movement of inmates in and out of the facility, which would also be a form of cost avoidance. 4:19:35 PM REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND thanked the previous testifiers for their comments. He said that he has learned recidivism is significant in Alaska and how much cost is associated with it. He offered support to any remediation that could help drive down costs associated with incarceration. He commented that he hoped that as this technology continues to develop it could be an opportunity to engage with Alaska companies and entrepreneurs for service coverage. He was aware of Alaska startups already providing hardened tablets, but not specifically for prisons. He said that this could be an opportunity for Alaska, allowing those business opportunities to stay in the state. REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND asked whether there was a current method to track individuals using tablets to assess whether there was any meaningful impact following reentry. He said it may cost a small amount of money, but the cost savings given reduced rates of recidivism would save substantially more. He said SOA spends roughly $70-$80 thousand to keep someone in the prison system and a fifty-dollar investment in a tablet would be a considerable return on the investment. He said that being able to see the savings in action would make these decisions straightforward, but it would require the collection of data. He reiterated his question into whether DOC was collecting reentry data for individuals who used tablets and if not, could DOC begin collecting this information. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT responded that the question of causation and correlation always play into this discussion. She noted that there was some research in the committee's bill packets about recidivism at a national level [copy included in committee file]. She said that research indicates that recidivism is reduced with increased educational opportunities. She said that while there were educational programs available right now, nobody could force inmates to participate. She commented that it was human nature to want to occupy time with something. She deferred Deputy Commissioner Wilkerson for further comment. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON said that DOC intends to track as much data as possible to ensure the success of the tablet program. She said that the tablet infrastructure was put in place the previous March and devices were not rolled out until the beginning of April, with limited tablet functionality consisting of the handbook, digital library, and attorney-client visits. She remarked that only last October had DOC been able to work with the vendor to get the RFI process established, grievance process and communications started with the tablets. Furthermore, the educational components of the tablets are only beginning to be "turned on". Due to recent implementation of the tablets, only limited data was available regarding outcomes from tablet use. She said that DOC plans to have tracking capabilities to monitor and report on the success and utilization of the tablets. She noted that everything on the tablet was recorded except for professional visits with their attorney clients. 4:24:15 PM REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT noted that the committee should not overlook opportunities for faith-based services and family visitation. She commented on the vast nature of Alaska and the distance that many inmates have from families. She noted that Sitka has no long-term correctional facility and at best an inmate might be housed in Juneau. She said that at a minimum, a tablet would provide an opportunity for family visits when in- person visitation was not possible. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT also referenced a study evaluated by her research team that explained the impact of education on reentry success. She clarified that it was a national study and not specific to Alaska but indicated that educational opportunities reduce post-release incarceration rates by 13 percent. It also indicated a savings of five dollars in correctional costs for every single dollar spent on correctional education. She emphasized that the tablets are directly tied into educational access. REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND said that based on previous comments it is understood that DOC can track the use of the tablets and will be expanding what the tablets can be used for. He reiterated that his question pertained to tracking reentry for individuals who used a tablet and those who did not and their respective outcomes following reentry. He was interested in whether recidivism data could be correlated to tablet access. He acknowledged that the statistical significance might be speculative but explained that he was looking at data that could correlate from national studies as well and provide Alaska- specific information. He remarked that this type of data would help infer whether tablets had an impact on reducing recidivism rates in the state. Being able to see a change in Alaska's recidivism rates and correlating it back to different services, products, or tools would be ideal. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON said that DOC can track recidivism rates. For individuals returning to custody, the department can review what programming those individuals previously received, whether they had participated, completed it, or successfully completed it. She said that with regards to tablets, DOC can evaluate whether those inmates were issued a tablet and what it was used for. She said that this was a component that could be added to reports generated by the Department. 4:27:49 PM REPRESENTATIVE MOORE asked whether Deputy Commissioner Wilkerson could elaborate on what was included in the $50 a month cost associated with the electronic tablets. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON responded that this covers costs associated with setting up the system, setting up users, software updates, security elements, and services that were being provided. She compared it to costs associated with setting up phones. REPRESENTATIVE MOORE noted that based on the language of the bill, some of the features were already being piloted on the tablets, such as entertainment and online education. He noted that in other states, entertainment is charged to the inmate, and inmates pay for online education courses. She said that inmates in other states often pay for text messaging and emails as well. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON clarified that from DOC's standpoint and the way the proposed legislation reads, there is no ability to allow for entertainment under the current bill language. She said that email and visitations are prohibited from being charged back to inmates. Because of this, any such services would require negotiation with the vendor, the department would need to return to the legislature to seek funding for full implementation. REPRESENTATIVE MOORE asked, if the bill carries forward, whether DOC would also charge for entertainment and online educational courses. Furthermore, she inquired whether there had been any conversations about whether the department would charge inmates $50 to cover the monthly fee associated with the tablets. She said that this would need to be addressed in a fiscal note. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WILKERSON reiterated that DOC understands that the proposed legislation would not allow the use of tablets for the purpose of entertainment. Furthermore, she reiterated that email and electronic visitations could not be charged to inmates. Because of this, negotiations would be required with the vendor regarding costs and required funding for full implementation. 4:31:51 PM CHAIR CARRICK announced that CSHB 35(CRA) was held over.