Using an Inmate Tablet at RJ Donovan: What It Does, Why It Locks, and What to Do After Release

At RJ Donovan, inmates can purchase and use Pennsylvania DOC-approved tablets through ViaPath Technologies. Here's what trips families up: the inmate has to order the tablet through the DOC commissary system. You can't order it directly for them.

Want to help financially? Send money to your loved one's account so they can make the commissary purchase themselves. You'll need a JPay account to send funds. For tablet questions, ViaPath's customer service line is 877-650-4249.

For families, email is the tablet's most useful feature. Your loved one can send and receive messages anytime, which makes staying in touch easier than trying to catch phone calls at the right moment.

• ✓ Listen to music (more than 3 million songs available)
• ✓ Play games (45 pre‑approved games)
• ✓ Read on the device (more than 8,500 eBooks available)

The tablet also supports paid content. Inmates can add funds through commissary or the Lobby Kiosk to make purchases on the device.

Paid features run on

Like the tablet itself, link units are tied to the inmate's account and purchased through commissary. That's why helping out usually means funding your loved one's account (through JPay) rather than buying tablet items directly.

These tablets have a 30-day

A locked tablet means no email, no paid content - nothing. This also matters at release: if someone leaves custody without handling the device properly, the timer can still lock it later.

After release, the tablet doesn't get turned back in - it stays with the person. That's good news, but it also means the next steps are on them once they're home.

1. Plan to keep the tablet from locking - once the individual is home, they must send the tablet to ViaPath Technologies to have the mortality timer removed.
2. Ask about turning on normal device features - ViaPath Technologies can also load the software for Wi‑Fi and camera functions after release.