Today, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors unanimously
approved a pilot project that will provide inmates in the Humboldt County
Correctional Facility access to education on a electronic tablet platform. The
focus of this project will be to maintain compliance with Title 15 section
1061, which requires to Humboldt County Jail to provide voluntary academic /
vocational education of both sentenced and non-sentenced inmates. The pilot project will expand educational
programs to the entire population of the facility and introduce additional
educational content in the continued effort to aid with offender’s re-entry
into the community and help reduce recidivism.
Jail Education Solutions, Inc., also known as Edovo, will
contract with the county to provide the educational service, beginning with a 90-day
pilot project in a section of the facility. No taxpayer dollars will be used
for this project. The trial will cost about $12,000 for the leasing fees and
infrastructure set-up, paid for out of the Sheriff’s Office Inmate Welfare
Fund. This fund is generated from phone
and commissary commissions and is required to be used for inmate benefit, such
as educational programs.
Edovo is already established in county correctional facilities
in Sacramento and Madera. Their vast
educational content includes courses GED/High school equivalency, basic literacy,
ESL, employment training and job skill development, health and wellness
including substance abuse treatment, anger management, and cognitive behavior
therapy. Edovo will also interface with
College of the Redwoods to allow access to their curriculum as well, which will
supplement the classes already being taught in the facility. These tablets will not be internet accessible
and all the content is regulated and tracked by the correctional facility staff.
After the initial three months, the Sheriff’s Office will evaluate
the program to determine if the educational would benefit the inmates and
reduce recidivism in the community.