Will Bedford County Inmates Receive Tablet Computers?
by Shelbyville NOW Staff
August 24, 2023 - County Commissioner Eric Maddox (District 1) gave an update through his Facebook page concerning a new bid request for tablets, intended to be given to inmates of the Bedford County Jail. This update comes as the Bedford County Department of Finance is currently accepting bids from companies until September 8th in order to fulfill the request from the Jail.
In the update, Commissioner Maddox refers to a previous post which he made earlier this year, when he gave his assessment as to how he believed things would potentially play out. About six months later his assessment seems to be fairly accurate. On two previous occasions this year, jail officials brought the idea to the table and the idea was pulled after it faced great opposition by Commissioner Maddox and others. Back in February the initiative was pulled, with both the County Mayor and Sheriff stating that it would be “revisited again in August”. Maddox mentioned back in February, when this happened, that his concern would be the county bringing the program back on a one-year deal; thus, removing the commission's opportunity to vote on the initiative. Currently only contracts over one year need a vote by the Commission.
Commissioner Maddox has stood firmly against the idea of bringing tablets into the jail, citing liabilities and potential costs to the county and its citizens. Maddox has also called out security concerns, as many reported instances of inmate issued tablets within other jail facilities being rooted or hacked, thus allowing inmates the opportunity to bypass the locked down servers which are intended for the devices to securely operate.
Commissioner Maddox also expressed some dissatisfaction in his update, as details of the request for bidding were not disclosed this month during the recent Law Enforcement Committee meeting (of which he is also a member). At the December 2022 Law Enforcement Committee meeting, the idea was discussed with the committee by jail facility managers. At the February 2023 commission meeting, commissioners were told the plan was to have a representative from the tablet vendor make a presentation to the commission; but that presentation has yet to happen.
Maddox continued in his post to state; “Folk’s, I have the highest respect for law enforcement…. I have respect for the Sheriff and his office of dedicated officers and staff here in Bedford County. I also know that it is up to the Sheriff to run the jail how he sees fit; but/and please know that after much research and conversations with many of you (in conjunction with conversations with MANY law enforcement individuals in other counties and states, Jail facility staff here in TN, and people in state level offices); I stand firmly against a tablet program for the jail.” Maddox continued to state; “For me; I firmly believe that the risks and liabilities far outweigh the positives. We (The People) help create the culture within society in which we live; and what we accept helps set the tone for our county. “Go to jail and get a free tablet” – is not a good tone to set, as it pertains to our county’s corrections facility. Although I sincerely believe in rehabilitation; and programs designed to help; I also believe that a jail is not meant to be a country club, and tablets are not meant to be a “carrot to be taken away from inmates when they become somewhat unruly”, as it has been stated by some in favor of this initiative.”
Shelbyville Now reached out to the Sheriff; and are still awaiting to hear his comments. We will update you as soon as we do.
Commissioner Eric Maddox (District 1)
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ericmaddoxforbedfordcountycommissioner
