Maximize the TV as a Tool that Works for You

The availability of TVs and cable content in the incarceration environment has been a controversial topic amongst facilities as well as to the public who consider TV a luxury. We know the TV serves a different purpose - to pacify the population and to be used as leverage should things get out of hand in the housing unit by taking the TV away. However, we have a unique opportunity to take advantage of the positive relationship the inmates have to the TV and its powerful capabilities to deliver information and to subconsciously affect their mood and the information they are taking in. If there is something playing on the TV, they will watch, no matter the nature of the content.

Wrap the content they want to see with information they need to see. The image shows a standard TV feed wrapped with side panels of information on the side with a crawling message on the bottom.

Communicate Housing Unit Schedule/Movement

Transitions can be difficult within the housing units. When an officer or deputy gives a command, it often receives an emotional reaction from adults in custody. When the command or message is displayed on the TV, the response is generally more immediate and does not carry the emotional component of human interaction. Below are a couple of examples of such messaging. Messaging can be presented in multiple languages.

Transitions can be difficult within the housing units. When an officer or deputy gives a command, it often receives an emotional reaction from adults in custody. When the command or message is displayed on the TV, the response is generally more immediate and does not carry the emotional component of human interaction. Below are a couple of examples of such messaging. Messaging can be presented in multiple languages.