KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Knox County Sheriff's Office has asked for an additional 900 computer tablets for jail inmates after they found success with a 300 tablet pilot program.
News outlets report the Knox County Commission has tentatively approved tablets for the Roger D. Wilson Detention Center Monday. The purchase would give a one-to-one ratio of tablets for the jail's 1,200 inmates.
Knox County Sheriff's Office Capt. Terry Wilshire says tablets make the jail safer and give inmates access to their families and research.
Wilshire says the tablets cost $425 while the sheriff's office contends expenses are covered by the cost families pay for video visitation emails.