Tablets at PA DOC: How Family Members Can Help Fund and Get Support (for SCI Albion families)

Tablets at SCI Albion can only be ordered by the inmate through the PA DOC commissary system. You can't buy one for them directly from the outside. So how can you help? Send money so they have funds available when they're ready to order. You'll need a JPay account to transfer funds to them.

PA DOC tablets have a "mortality timer" - basically, the device must sync to a prison kiosk every 30 days to stay functional. This isn't optional. Miss the sync window and the tablet locks. Your loved one will need to update it at the kiosk before they can use it again.

One thing that catches families off guard: these tablets ship without Wi‑Fi or a camera. If your loved one mentions the device is limited, that's by design - not a defect.

Run into a problem you can't fix from your end? ViaPath Technologies has a customer service line for friends and family. Call 877-650-4249 for tablet questions or troubleshooting help.

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• ✓ Use JPay to send money if you’re helping fund a tablet purchase.
• ✓ Remember: your loved one must order the tablet through SCI Albion’s DOC commissary system.
• ✓ Build in the 30‑day “mortality timer” sync: the tablet has to be synced to a prison kiosk for an update every 30 days.
• ✓ If the tablet doesn’t get synced within the 30-day period, expect it to lock.
• ✓ For tablet support questions, call ViaPath Technologies’ friends-and-family line at 877-650-4249.
• ✓ Keep expectations realistic about features: PA DOC tablets are distributed without Wi‑Fi or a camera by default.