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Hawley pens letter to Cuomo urging him to shut down program that will provide prisoners with free e-tablets

By Billie Owens

As a result of the decision by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to allow more than 51,000 inmates statewide to use electronic tablets free of charge, Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) has written a letter to Gov. Cuomo and DOCCS demanding that the program be shut down immediately.

Today, Feb. 1, Hawley wrote:

Dear Governor Cuomo:

I am distraught and dismayed relative to the news accounts that tablets will be made available to 51,000 incarcerated individuals within our state correctional facilities.

This policy decision to reward and furnish luxury items like these tablets to prisoners is an affront to our law abiding citizens. Our citizens, veterans, school districts and libraries all across our state, struggle to provide for their families, students and patrons. What message does this send to them!

We already have people moving to New York State for our lavish Medicaid programs and now criminals will also be moving here and if convicted and sent to a state prison will have access to luxuries not afforded in other out of state correctional facilities.

I call on you to reconsider this misguided policy and urge JayP Inc. to work with our school system, libraries and veterans organizations to furnish tablets to law abiding citizens instead of those who are currently incarcerated.

Sincerely,

Steve Hawley

Member of Assembly

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david spaulding

lmao .....when I first heard this story I said to myself, only in America, with some more thought I said, only in New York.... Why stop with tablets? how about paying the inmates for their time. minimum wage X 40 hour / week. The longer they serve the more they make.. after all, they will be paying taxes and social security.. come on now, it's a win-win, it's a shot in the arm, it's a no-brainer, if we can save one life, ......

Feb 1, 2018, 5:57pm Permalink
Julie Morales

“We already have people moving to New York State for our lavish Medicaid programs and now criminals will also be moving here…”

Dog whistle politics. “Criminals” will move to NYS in order to be incarcerated here just to get a tablet. Sure.

Yeah, being poor, sick and/or incarcerated and dehumanized sure sounds like a “lavish” lifestyle.

Feb 2, 2018, 4:41pm Permalink

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