Prison Tablet Messaging: What Families Need to Know

If you haven't visited recently, here's what changed: most prisons now have tablets. Incarcerated people can use them to message family, access education, read books, even stream music. It sounds like progress — and in some ways it is. But the tablet providers are the same companies that dominated prison phone calls for decades. They didn't change their business model. They just moved it onto a touchscreen.

Understanding how prison tablet messaging actually works — what platforms are available, what things cost, and where the fee traps are — can save families real money and a lot of confusion. This guide covers everything you need to know, from which companies dominate the market to what you can do if you're being squeezed by fees you shouldn't have to pay.

The short version: tablets are a genuine improvement over collect calls. But you'll need to navigate the system carefully to avoid being overcharged for basic human contact.

Which Companies Provide Prison Tablets?

A handful of companies control the prison tablet market, and most operate through exclusive contracts with state Departments of Corrections. When a facility signs with one provider, incarcerated people often have no choice but to use that company's platform — which is precisely how these companies profit.

• JPay (part of Securus Technologies) — The most widely deployed tablet provider in the country. JPay tablets are present in dozens of state systems. Securus acquired JPay in 2015, creating a single company with reach into both phone calls and tablet messaging across much of the U.S. incarcerated population.
• GTL (Global Tel Link) — Another major player used in many state DOCs. GTL and Securus together account for the majority of prison telecom contracts nationwide. GTL's tablet platform offers messaging, video visitation, and entertainment services.
• Edovo — Education-focused platform that also includes messaging capabilities. Some facilities use Edovo specifically for its educational programming, and families at those facilities can use its messaging features. Generally considered more ethically oriented than the major telecom players.
• TabletConnect — A regional provider operating in select facilities. Smaller footprint than JPay or GTL but present in certain state systems.

The important thing to understand is that your facility's tablet provider is determined entirely by the contract your state DOC signed — often without input from incarcerated people or their families. If you're unhappy with the provider, that's a systemic issue worth knowing how to address (more on that below).

What Can You Do on a Prison Tablet?

Prison tablets are more capable than most families realize — though the exact feature set varies by facility, contract, and what the DOC has opted to enable. Here's a general breakdown of what's typically available:

• Messaging and email (usually paid per message on JPay/GTL; free on some alternative platforms including YardLink where available)
• Video calls — scheduled, per-minute pricing, and often requiring setup fees on both ends
• Music streaming — typically a subscription service; some facilities offer a basic catalog free, premium is paid
• E-books — often free or heavily discounted through provider partnerships with publishers and literacy nonprofits
• Educational content — GED prep, vocational courses, life skills modules; Edovo leads here, but JPay/GTL also offer education libraries
• Limited internet access — not open internet browsing; providers curate an approved set of websites or use a walled-garden model
• Legal resources — some facilities include access to legal libraries through the tablet
• Games and entertainment — basic gaming apps; usually requires purchasing credits

The distinction between free and paid features matters a great deal for family budgets. Education is typically subsidized or free as a policy priority. Entertainment is nearly always paid. Messaging — the thing families need most — sits somewhere in between, and this is where the major providers extract the most revenue.

How Tablet Messaging Actually Works

The mechanics of prison tablet messaging are straightforward once you understand them, but first-timers are often confused about who sets up what account and how messages actually travel.

Here's the typical flow:

1. Family member creates an account on the tablet provider's website (e.g., JPay.com). This account is on the "outside" — it's how you send and receive messages.
2. Fund your account or purchase messaging credits. On JPay this means buying "stamps." On GTL this means loading a balance. On free platforms like YardLink, this step doesn't exist.
3. Send a message. You type your message and submit it. The message enters the provider's system and is queued for facility review.
4. Facility review. Most facilities use automated keyword filtering plus human review for flagged messages. This is a real process — messages can be rejected, and review adds time.
5. Message appears on the tablet. Once cleared, the message appears in the incarcerated person's inbox on their tablet. They can read it and reply from the device.
6. Reply travels the same path. The incarcerated person's reply goes through the same review process before appearing in your inbox on the outside.

Timeline varies. In practice, most messages clear review within one to 24 hours. Some facilities process messages faster; others have backlogs. High-volume facilities with limited review staff can take longer. Weekend delays are common at facilities that don't run weekend review shifts.

One thing families often don't realize: if a message is rejected, you may not receive a clear explanation. The stamp or credit is usually consumed anyway. This is a frequent source of confusion and frustration.

The Fee Problem

This is the part that matters most if you're trying to manage a family budget.

Prison tablet messaging fees are not incidental overhead costs. They are the revenue model. Here's what that looks like in practice on JPay, the most widely used platform:

Stamps. JPay uses a virtual currency called stamps. Each outbound message costs one stamp. Stamps are purchased in bundles and cost approximately $0.30 to $0.55 each depending on your state. You buy a bundle of 10 stamps for roughly $3.50 to $5.50. You send 10 messages. You buy more stamps. This is the baseline cost of staying in contact.

Deposit fees. Before you can buy stamps, you have to put money into your JPay account. JPay charges a fee for that transaction. Use a debit or credit card and you'll pay 4–10% of the deposit amount. Use MoneyGram and you'll pay a flat $5.95 fee regardless of how much you're depositing. This fee exists before you've sent a single message.

Video call fees. Video calls on JPay are charged per minute, typically $0.25–$0.50/minute, plus a per-session connection fee of $0.99–$1.99. A 20-minute call can cost $7–$12 after fees, and both parties often need to purchase credits. Note that this is for a feature that costs the provider fractions of a cent per minute to deliver.

Inactivity fees. If your account sits dormant for 90 days, JPay charges $2.99/month until the balance is depleted. This catches families who take a break from messaging or whose incarcerated family member is transferred and temporarily can't receive messages.

Here's the important context: state DOCs typically receive a percentage of the revenue these providers generate. This is called a revenue-sharing arrangement or "site commission." It creates a structural conflict of interest — the state profits from higher fees. The FCC has begun regulating some of these rates for phone calls, and reform advocates are working to extend those protections to digital messaging. But as of now, for most families, the fees stand.

Platforms That Offer Free Messaging Through Tablets

The fee structure above is not universal. Some facilities allow multiple messaging platforms — and where alternatives are available, the cost difference is dramatic.

YardLink is free. No per-message fees, no stamps, no deposit charges. Where YardLink is available on facility tablets, families can send and receive messages at no cost. Create a free YardLink account here and check if it's available at your family member's facility.

CorrLinks is used in the federal Bureau of Prisons system and is free for family members on the outside. If your family member is in federal custody, CorrLinks is likely your primary platform.

Edovo includes messaging features, and depending on the facility contract, some or all messaging may be free or low-cost.

The catch: whether you can use an alternative platform depends entirely on what your specific facility has approved. The facility — or more specifically, the DOC's contract with the primary provider — controls which apps can be installed on tablets. Exclusive contracts sometimes block competing platforms entirely. This is worth asking about directly.

What Families Often Get Wrong About Tablet Messaging

These mistakes cost families real money. They're all avoidable.

Assuming you need to pay upfront. Not always true. Check what platforms are available at your facility before loading money anywhere. If YardLink or CorrLinks is available, you may not need to pay anything to start messaging.

Not knowing you can call the facility. You can call your facility's administrative line and ask: "What messaging platforms are approved for use on inmate tablets?" It's a straightforward question that facilities are used to answering. Five minutes on the phone can tell you exactly what your options are.

Sending money to a platform that isn't approved. This is the most costly mistake. Families sometimes create accounts and load funds on a platform — based on a recommendation from another family — only to discover that platform isn't available at their specific facility. Always verify approval before depositing anything.

Not knowing about message limits. Some facilities cap the number of messages an incarcerated person can send or receive per day. If you're not getting replies and you know your family member is okay, a daily message cap might be why. Ask the facility.

Assuming tablets are always accessible. Tablets are checked out or shared in many facilities — they're not always in an incarcerated person's possession 24/7. Delayed replies don't always mean something is wrong. It may just mean tablet access was limited that day.

Advocating for Better Options at Your Facility

If your facility only offers expensive options and you want that to change, you're not powerless — but you need to work through the right channels.

Contact your state DOC advocacy office. Most state Departments of Corrections have an ombudsman or family services office that handles complaints and requests. A formal written request asking the DOC to consider approving additional free messaging platforms creates a paper trail and signals demand.

Connect with organizations doing this work. Worth Rises (worthrises.org) and Prison Policy Initiative (prisonpolicy.org) are two of the most effective advocacy organizations focused on prison telecom reform. They have resources for families, model letters, and active campaigns to cap fees and expand access. Joining their networks amplifies your voice.

Ask the incarcerated person to file a request. In most facilities, incarcerated people can file formal requests (sometimes called kites or grievances) asking administration to add or approve additional programming platforms. A request from inside the facility, combined with family pressure from outside, carries more weight than either alone.

State legislative contact. Prison telecom reform bills have passed in several states, and more are moving. Contacting your state representative or senator about excessive prison messaging fees is legitimate constituent advocacy. The more legislators hear from affected families, the more likely reform legislation advances.

The Bottom Line

Tablets in prisons represent genuine progress over the alternatives. Asynchronous messaging is better than collect calls. Access to education and books matters. And the technology exists to make all of this essentially free — the cost of transmitting a text message is negligible.

The problem is that the companies providing these services built their business model around extracting fees from families who have no substitute. That's not a technology problem. It's a policy and advocacy problem.

For now, the practical advice is this: know what platforms are approved at your facility, avoid depositing money into any account until you've confirmed it works, and use free platforms where they're available. If the expensive option is your only option right now, at least avoid the fees you can (inactivity fees, expedited processing, video call connection fees).

Where YardLink is available, it costs nothing. That's not a promotional line — it's the point. Families shouldn't have to pay per message to stay connected to someone they love.