New music, digital options in store for Iowa inmates

ANAMOSA - For much of the day, Deshawn Bullock sits in his cell in the Anamosa State Penitentiary and passes the time. There are books. He can watch TV or write letters. And then there's his music.

“I had to have it,” Bullock, 40, said about the option of buying a CD player when he was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison on drug and escape charges. “I have to keep myself out of trouble.”

Bullock is one of many inmates in Iowa's prisons who use CD players for entertainment, comfort and to relax.

Inmates are limited in the number of CDs they can have, but the Iowa Department of Corrections is rolling out a system in the next several months that will change that by enhancing inmates' musical options through digital technology.

Music kiosks are being installed in all of Iowa's nine prisons that will let inmates download songs onto MP3 players they can buy through the prison commissary. The move will keep inmates, to some degree, up to speed on today's fast-moving technology while also cutting down on the amount of property that has to be searched.

Prison officials believe it's important to offer inmates music because, for starters, it can keep them out of trouble. Many of the state's younger offenders, for example, became comfortable using electronics as a stress-reliever on the outside, said Sheryl Dahm, assistant deputy director for the Iowa Department of Corrections' eastern region.

“It is their relaxation,” she said. “We have to, at some point, reach out to where they're at in their generation.”

Offering MP3 players also addresses a safety issue.

“We want to offer things that you cannot use to hide contraband,” said Dahm, “An MP3 player is smaller in size and you can't take it apart as easy.”

CDs, which “can be broken and can be sharp,” also can be used as weapons, Dahm said. Phasing them out will leave prison officials with one less worry, she said.

The Iowa Department of Corrections in recent months tested the media kiosks in two of its prisons - the North Central Correction Facility in Rockwell City and the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville. Those test systems proved successful, earning them spots in all of the prisons.

Other digital systems

Music isn't the only thing getting a digital makeover in Iowa's prison system. Some inmates now are using computers on a limited basis to email approved friends and family members, and prison officials are discussing digitizing internal communication between inmates, counselors and prison officials.

Such a move could eliminate paper forms used for grievances, for example, saving money and materials, Dahm said. A new digital system also could change the way inmates manage their money, monitor their phone accounts and apply for jobs within the facility.

Dahm said the prison might use the system to advertise available positions and send out information about treatment groups or chapel services.

“All of this is still in the discussion phase,” she said.

Preparing for release

Inmates can't access the Internet through the computers and kiosks in the prisons, Dahm said. But the hope is that the digital upgrades, to some degree, will prepare inmates eyeing release for re-entry into an ever technology dependent society and workforce.

“As technology changes, this keeps offenders educated on the things they might have to encounter when they get out into the community,” she said, adding that many of today's jobs are advertised online, and employers often request online applications.

“This is setting them up to be prepared to use computers on the outside,” Dahm said.

With the MP3 system first to roll out, prison officials are finalizing details like cost and how to manage inmate downloads. Dahm said about 6 million songs are available through the system, and each tune costs $1.75. MP3 players, depending on the storage space, cost $110 to $130.

That's more than the CD players, costing between $19 and $72.

“But the plan is to phase those out,” Dahm said.

Bullock said he bought an iPod just before being sentenced to prison, and he's glad the Department of Corrections is getting up to speed with today's digital landscape. He said music is important to inmates, and some even play in a band that can entertain and calm an entire unit.

“In the summer time, you can hear the music coming through the windows,” he said. “It's like a festival.”

Juston Gruner, 24, of Cedar Rapids, said he was sentenced more than a year ago to up to 17 years in prison for theft and extortion convictions, but he believes he'll get out soon on good behavior and hopes he isn't around long enough to need an MP3 player.

Gruner said, however, that his roommates are in for life sentences and the new kiosks are “high on their list” of wants.

“They would like to have a broad range of music,” he said, adding that outlets like music keep the inmates in line. “Music helps them deal with stress.”