Family And Friends 1 Class Book Audio

[Geneva Andreotti]

TheCalifornia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has partnered with, the California Department of Technology (CDT), to enter into a contract with ViaPath Technologies (formerly Global Tel*Link Corporation, or GTL) to enhance communications, technology access, and family connections for the incarcerated population in state prisons.

CDCR knows how important it is for incarcerated people to stay connected with their loved ones. The Department offers ample opportunities for connection through in-person and video visits, letters, electronic messaging, and video and audio calls.

CDCR continues to expand access to new and existing services and innovative rehabilitative opportunities. This six-year contract covers many aspects of communications technology, including providing access to services from tablets and kiosks for the entire incarcerated population.

The enhanced communication project aims to strengthen the bonds between the incarcerated population with their families and communities. Jails and prisons across the US are seeing the benefits of utilizing electronic devices as they provide incarcerated individuals access to rehabilitative program content, important departmental updates, and positive leisure-time activities, such as knowledge-based games and books. These devices also allow these activities to be tracked and monitored for safety and security.

CDCR is aware that residents in Restricted Housing Units have been experiencing issues with tablet services. Our team worked diligently to resolve the issue and full functionality was restored as of 11:30 a.m., Thursday, May 23, 2024. We will continue to monitor the issue to avoid future service disruptions. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your patience.

This means all existing tablet and phone services will be maintained during this interim period, but no additional services will be implemented until the permanent contract is in place. There will be no gap in services during this transition. All adult institutions currently have telephone and tablet services. People housed in any areas in institutions that have not yet received tablets can use kiosks, mail or telephone calls until they receive their tablets.

Beginning January 1, 2023, no friends, family, or incarcerated person will be billed for calls. CDCR is committed to strengthening bonds between incarcerated people and their families and communities. These relationships are important not only during incarceration, but also after someone is released from prison.

On September 27, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 1008, the Keep Families Connected Act. This bill requires all state prisons and local detention facilities in California provide voice communication services to incarcerated people free of charge to the person making and receiving the communication.

People receiving calls will still need to have an active ConnectNetwork Advance Pay account with VPT, although they will not be charged for calls after January 1, 2023. Those without an Advance Pay account should call (866) 607-6006 to set one up free of charge. Users will not be required to place funds on the Advance Pay account when setting it up.

People with existing funds on their Advanced Pay account who would like them returned should call (866) 607-6006. It is important to note that during the call users should not ask for their account to be closed as the account is required to receive free calls.

It is important to maintain relationships during incarceration. Visits, calls, and letters are a great way to stay connected. CDCR has been steadily working to improve technology and communication, including a pilot program at five prisons in 2018 that provided tablets and secure email access to eligible people. People with tablets and their loved ones report they appreciate the ability to stay connected, in addition to having consistent access to eBooks, legal materials, and entertainment.

Incarcerated people in restricted housing for non-disciplinary reasons are allowed to access paid services on their tablets. Incarcerated people in restricted housing for disciplinary reasons may not use paid services on the tablets while they are in restricted housing units. Paid services include premium movies, music, news and sports, podcasts, messaging, video calling, audio calls, and internet radio.

This six-year contract is with ViaPath Technologies, which is responsible for providing all tablets, infrastructure, technical support and technology updates. Many features are free to users, including the Department Operations Manual (DOM), Health Care Department Operations Manual (HCDOM), Title 15, PREA, Policies and Regulations, internal handbooks, newspapers, and podcasts, library eBooks, audiobooks, games, law library materials, religious materials, mental and physical health materials, and rehabilitative content. Users may purchase some services, such as approved movies, news and sports feeds, or premium music.

Users have the ability to securely send and receive email, with incoming and outgoing messages closely monitored. Users may send and receive pre-approved images, stickers, and e-cards, and can receive short video clips and photos from family and friends (videos/photos may not be sent, only received).

Technology in prisons and jails in the United States has advanced greatly. At least 30 states have started similar tablet programs to provide secure access to rehabilitative programs, email, and entertainment. Officials report many benefits, including the ability to monitor use and quickly address security concerns. In addition, music, movies, games and recreational books are widely enjoyed by incarcerated people. Tablets also allow people in prison to learn about technology they may not have ever experienced.

Yes. Users may receive, but not send, video clips from approved contacts. Videos are reviewed by institutional staff for safety and security concerns. Video calls are also available on the tablets in approved areas within each housing area. Users sign up for 15-minute blocks of time to utilize the docking station required to access the video call functionality on the tablets. Additionally, users can sign up to use the available kiosks to make telephone or video calls during institution-approved hours. At this time, the free Webex video visiting system remains in place. However, tablets will be available for those who would like to make video calls in a different location, or to offset limited video visiting availability in visiting rooms. Video calls cost 20 cents per minute.

The ADA incarcerated population and workers as well as CDCR employees are trained to assist any incarcerated person with using the accessible settings on the tablets. These settings are not restricted to users with a documented need and are available to every user. In addition, the existing Video Relay Solution (VRS) and telephones with captioning technology (TTY) are available free of charge upon request.

Yes. Each tablet is encrypted and all contents are monitored by institutional staff, who can immediately investigate any improper usage. The tablets are not web browsers and do not have internet access. Users may only access approved programs and content using tablets and kiosks in their housing units. CDCR can monitor, record, and store communications. E-messages are reviewed by VPT for inappropriate content, and staff are alerted for further review before it is sent to the intended recipient. All photos and video messages are reviewed, which may result in a short delay. Authorized staff have the ability to turn off any of the services for any user or group of users at any time if there are safety or security concerns.

The tablets provide a wealth of informational materials to enhance the well-being of the incarcerated population and their connection to their loved ones and communities through improved communications and access to resources. We are committed to adding new and increasingly interesting and relevant materials each month.

As new technology is introduced into institutions, there may be technical issues that need to be worked out. We understand this is frustrating for users and their family and friends, and appreciate your patience. Tablet users may submit a Tablet Performance Form to VPT via the tablet or kiosk. In the unexpected instance that the tablet and kiosk become unusable, the user should alert a staff member immediately.

For the first 30 days after tablets are activated at an institution, VPT monitors and tune signals to provide the best coverage. During this time, users may experience intermittent signal loss, which could result in dropped calls or loss of connectivity. When submitting Tablet Performance Forms to VPT, users should provide notes about what they are experiencing so VPT can best resolve the issue. Only one form should be submitted per issue, and VPT will respond within three business days.

Parts 1-4 of the Santa Barbara Corpus of Spoken American English (SBCSAE) are now available, for a total of approximately 249,000 words. The Santa Barbara Corpus includes transcriptions, audio, and timestamps which correlate transcription and audio at the level of individual intonation units.

To access individual conversations and other discourse segments in the Santa Barbara Corpus, you may select the audio file and transcription you wish to download by consulting the Contents and Summaries.

Although it is now available for free on-line (see above), the Santa Barbara Corpus of Spoken American English can still be purchased on CD and DVD from the Linguistic Data Consortium, at the following web pages:

A version of the Santa Barbara Corpus transcriptions in CHAT format, including metadata, is available for download here; CHAT transcriptions of individual conversations are also available here under Contents and Summaries.

The Santa Barbara Corpus of Spoken American English is based on a large body of recordings of naturally occurring spoken interaction from all over the United States. The Santa Barbara Corpus represents a wide variety of people of different regional origins, ages, occupations, genders, and ethnic and social backgrounds. The predominant form of language use represented is face-to-face conversation, but the corpus also documents many other ways that that people use language in their everyday lives: telephone conversations, card games, food preparation, on-the-job talk, classroom lectures, sermons, story-telling, town hall meetings, tour-guide spiels, and more.

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