Lawyer Shared A Story Of Her Client Struggling To Catch Up With Modern Technology After 30 Years In Prison
Modernity, at its core, reflects what is contemporary in our everyday life. This term is always fluctuating, as there was a time when the wheel was considered the height of achievement and planes were an unholy technical abomination. But opinions evolve with the times and modern technology is what drives societies forward—just a few decades ago, no one had dreamed of smartphones, and now we can’t leave home without them. The understanding of technology often comes gradually to us, since we live surrounded by it and when something new comes along, we have a firm foundation to stand and rely upon. But what happens when this foundation is taken from us and we are thrown right into the melting pot of technology we don’t understand and systems that no longer remember what paper documents are?
More info: twitter.com
A Twitter thread sheds some light on how unprepared former inmates are to rejoin society
Image credits: Sara (not the actual photo)
Human rights lawyer reveals her client, who spent 30 years in prison, struggles with technology
Image credits: _MariaBurnett
Human rights lawyer Maria Burnett has a client who was released from prison after serving a 30-year sentence. After so long, it’s natural that he would have plenty of things to get used to anew, but it goes a bit deeper than that. Burnett said he was reluctant to admit he had no idea how to access the crucial documents or services he needed because they all revolved around the use of digital space.
She taught him how to use a laptop and explained different technology-related terms
Image credits: _MariaBurnett
Image credits: _MariaBurnett
“I got him a laptop and we spent a day this weekend going over everything, the difference between cell service and wifi, between texts and email, where to find which thing on a phone vs on a laptop,” said Burnett. The man spent decades outside of the technology-driven world, so it’s understandable he might be a bit behind. But the absolute lack of any information or training for people who have basically entered a whole new age with outdated knowledge can be detrimental.
The lawyer stated that society has unrealistic expectations that he would already know all this stuff
Image credits: _MariaBurnett
Image credits: _MariaBurnett
According to her, even DC social services offices automatically assumed he would know how to file online forms, send emails, scan documents, and use other services in the digital space. She admitted that even she herself didn’t think about her client being out of touch with technology, since we all naturally use it in our everyday lives with no trouble.
It took a lot of effort for the client to get the hang of modern technology
Image credits: _MariaBurnett
While prisoners have some form of email system, Corrlinks, it’s designed and run specifically for inmates to contact the outside world. When the client became a free man, three decades were quick to catch up to him, with no assistance set up by the government to help him adjust. He needed to learn everything from scratch, and with some help and determination, he got a firm grasp on at least some fundamentals, which is especially important in today’s climate, when most of the world has moved its services to a digital space.
This sparked a discussion about the need to increase inmates’ technological literacy
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Share on FacebookI think large parts of the US prison system are deliberately designed to prevent people from succeeding in the outside world. This just fits.
Especially the system of for-profit private prisons
Load More Replies...Beyond just inmates, this applies to older age groups as well. I know people in their mid 50's that have trouble. Very smart people. They don't understand some very basic things. It isn't only about lack of access. I think there is a level of fear about it for some people who didn't grow up with it. That needs to be addressed. There need to be more learning opportunities for them, where they don't feel embarrassed for not knowing.This is not specific to inmates though. As the post suggested for inmates, maybe a type of exit training for those returning to the world outside.
It's worse for inmates, though. Imagine all that fear PLUS the last time you looked at a computer there was no such thing as a mouse. You might know what a word processor is but you started it up with the command line. Or maybe he's seen Windows 3.1 but certainly not a smartphone. There would be so much to learn that he doesn't even know exists, way beyond the confusion of people who are just in that age group where it's existed in their periphery but until recently they didn't need to understand it to function in their jobs.
Load More Replies...This is kinda sad. Not that it matters, but I’m curious as to what he was incarcerated for.
He was released in Washington DC so that’s where he committed his crime. In DC every felony is a federal crime. So he could have done anything from murder or rape to selling or using drugs. Impossible to know really.
Load More Replies...Countries who take their citizens serious run prisons as places that prepare criminals not only for a non-criminal future, but to become contributing members of society. (But for a really small number of people that likely will remain a danger to others forever.) This not only saves the state and eventually the society enormous amount of money, but it is also humane. Law enforcement is not about revenge, it is about justice!
Many US prisons run "slave" labor operations doing online customer service. I guess they can beat India or the PI.
Load More Replies...When looking at prisons in Norway and recidivism over there, I would say all other countries have a lot to learn. I can't imagine being locked up for 30 years, but at the same time being kept in a time capsule. And yes, it's prison. People in there have done crimes. But I'd rather see them get out changed for the good. How else do we expect them to stay on the right path?
I don't think Anders Behring Breivik should ever get out, nor should he live a comfortable life where he can contemplate a rehabilitated future. Frankly euthanasia is too good for him. Send him to a French prison.
Load More Replies...My uncle was released from prison in the early 2000's after about 20 years inside. He struggled to adapt to the way the world had changed in such a relatively short period of time. He used to do things that seemed silly to us like, tried to play a CD on the record player. He found the whole world too difficult to adapt to, so he went out, got a gun, walked into a bank, waited in line, got to front and said to the lady behind the counter 'I don't want you to panic, I have a gun, I'm not going to use it, I need you to call the police and tell them that this is an armed robbery', placed the gun on the counter and sat on the floor and waited for the police.
Sounds like that movie The Shawshank Redemption. Sorry about your uncle.
Load More Replies...I volunteer for the public library teaching computer classes for beginners. I love it. There was one day when I had a class who were afraid of everything that "pops up" on a computer. (They were afraid of windows and menus.) We spent 45 minutes practicing open and closing windows, "accidentally" right clicking and making the menu go away, pressing the start button on the keyboard and making that menu go away. We never actually started any programs. Just getting through that part was enough. It was amazing to watch their confidence grow over things that just come so instinctively to me as a millennial.
The poor guy. It must be so scary. I'm impressed he's already got to grips with Zoom. Here's hoping he has continued progress and success.
I agree. I'm only just getting to grips with Zoom, still don't feel comfortable with it, but I had to do it.
Load More Replies...I remember helping a female neighbor -who was recently released- fill out forms in English 'cause no one bothered to taught her while she was in prison, I was dumbfounded by the lack of abilities she had, so sad :'(
The justice [sic] system in the USA is seriously f###ed up. We need to revamp it completely. Prisons should be for only the most violent and dangerous convicts. There are plenty of alternatives for nonviolent offenders, such as community service.
Shoot I've not been to prison and it's hard for me to know a lot about computer technology I know some studies are done on Zoom but I don't know how to go about it I am on disability so I don't need to do a lot of things on a laptop or computer and I can understand these people being so confused I mean I'm here in the the real world that's what you can call it and I wouldn't know what to do if someone told me to get on Zoom
This was amazing to read. I am an IT manager for a community center and this article describes my average client to a T. No prison time, but primarily people fleeing warzones etc. They arrive in Leeuwarden, and have no idea what a gas bill is, what email is, what an attachment is, or why they cannot visit a physical building and speak with a physical human being to handle their paperwork. It's second nature to everyone born here, but for people from outside the first world, it's just this side of magic. Helping people like that find their feet gives me great job satisfaction and makes me feel like I'm contributing despite my disability.
I'm sure this kind of thing contributes to a fair amount of recidivism, which is really sad.
My best friend is serving 30 years. He went in in 2009 and if he’s lucky will be out in 2025 He’ll have quite a bit to catch up on. I’m not super techy but I hope I can help him adjust to this world and not wish to go back in. 😞
This makes me wonder if there is some type of organization that specializes in getting inmates (and other people who need help) up to speed on technology. I would love to volunteer.
Our stupid criminal "justice" system serves stockholders in private prisons, but does very little for those inside prepare to rejoin society. This attorney rises above her peers.
People really shouldn’t be locked up that long, yes even if they rape or kill. If you’re not going to give them the death penalty then it makes no sense to keep them so long. Especially since they will eventually come out and just be a burden to society (and librarians apparently). Most other countries lock people away but a 30 year sentence should be reserved for depraved people. And it’s not like that here. If you’re going to release these fuçkers back into society than prepare them first at least so we don’t have to deal with their shît. The government wanted them locked away so the government should deal with it. I had a (now ex, thank god) boyfriend that did federal time for literally a couple grams of weed. Like two years in federal PRISON. He came out confused too, technology changes so fast. That was back in like 2009-ish I think.
Read up on Wesley Allan Dodd. Death was far to kind to him. Rotting in the bottom of an oubliette would be a better sentence.
Load More Replies...It'd be great to have better rehab programs in prisons. However, prisons are funded mainly by tax dollars. The cost is already something like $15k to $70k per inmate per year, depending on the state. Are people willing to pay more taxes to fund new programs? Or I guess there could be more programs to help keep people from becoming criminals. Either way, we'd probably need to pay more taxes.
Kinda yeah, I agree. It's a tough problem though. If we don't help them, their problems might make the rest of us suffer as well.
Load More Replies...did you also have to figure EVERYTHING out in one day, or one week, while everyone assumed you already knew it? I was 23 when my university had its first internet computer. It was a novelty. I made an email adress at hotmail because my now boyfriend pushed me, and i was able to figure everything out one at a time....
Load More Replies...“How can I make this about me and sound like an idiot? Hmmm, I know!” - Lola
Load More Replies...I think large parts of the US prison system are deliberately designed to prevent people from succeeding in the outside world. This just fits.
Especially the system of for-profit private prisons
Load More Replies...Beyond just inmates, this applies to older age groups as well. I know people in their mid 50's that have trouble. Very smart people. They don't understand some very basic things. It isn't only about lack of access. I think there is a level of fear about it for some people who didn't grow up with it. That needs to be addressed. There need to be more learning opportunities for them, where they don't feel embarrassed for not knowing.This is not specific to inmates though. As the post suggested for inmates, maybe a type of exit training for those returning to the world outside.
It's worse for inmates, though. Imagine all that fear PLUS the last time you looked at a computer there was no such thing as a mouse. You might know what a word processor is but you started it up with the command line. Or maybe he's seen Windows 3.1 but certainly not a smartphone. There would be so much to learn that he doesn't even know exists, way beyond the confusion of people who are just in that age group where it's existed in their periphery but until recently they didn't need to understand it to function in their jobs.
Load More Replies...This is kinda sad. Not that it matters, but I’m curious as to what he was incarcerated for.
He was released in Washington DC so that’s where he committed his crime. In DC every felony is a federal crime. So he could have done anything from murder or rape to selling or using drugs. Impossible to know really.
Load More Replies...Countries who take their citizens serious run prisons as places that prepare criminals not only for a non-criminal future, but to become contributing members of society. (But for a really small number of people that likely will remain a danger to others forever.) This not only saves the state and eventually the society enormous amount of money, but it is also humane. Law enforcement is not about revenge, it is about justice!
Many US prisons run "slave" labor operations doing online customer service. I guess they can beat India or the PI.
Load More Replies...When looking at prisons in Norway and recidivism over there, I would say all other countries have a lot to learn. I can't imagine being locked up for 30 years, but at the same time being kept in a time capsule. And yes, it's prison. People in there have done crimes. But I'd rather see them get out changed for the good. How else do we expect them to stay on the right path?
I don't think Anders Behring Breivik should ever get out, nor should he live a comfortable life where he can contemplate a rehabilitated future. Frankly euthanasia is too good for him. Send him to a French prison.
Load More Replies...My uncle was released from prison in the early 2000's after about 20 years inside. He struggled to adapt to the way the world had changed in such a relatively short period of time. He used to do things that seemed silly to us like, tried to play a CD on the record player. He found the whole world too difficult to adapt to, so he went out, got a gun, walked into a bank, waited in line, got to front and said to the lady behind the counter 'I don't want you to panic, I have a gun, I'm not going to use it, I need you to call the police and tell them that this is an armed robbery', placed the gun on the counter and sat on the floor and waited for the police.
Sounds like that movie The Shawshank Redemption. Sorry about your uncle.
Load More Replies...I volunteer for the public library teaching computer classes for beginners. I love it. There was one day when I had a class who were afraid of everything that "pops up" on a computer. (They were afraid of windows and menus.) We spent 45 minutes practicing open and closing windows, "accidentally" right clicking and making the menu go away, pressing the start button on the keyboard and making that menu go away. We never actually started any programs. Just getting through that part was enough. It was amazing to watch their confidence grow over things that just come so instinctively to me as a millennial.
The poor guy. It must be so scary. I'm impressed he's already got to grips with Zoom. Here's hoping he has continued progress and success.
I agree. I'm only just getting to grips with Zoom, still don't feel comfortable with it, but I had to do it.
Load More Replies...I remember helping a female neighbor -who was recently released- fill out forms in English 'cause no one bothered to taught her while she was in prison, I was dumbfounded by the lack of abilities she had, so sad :'(
The justice [sic] system in the USA is seriously f###ed up. We need to revamp it completely. Prisons should be for only the most violent and dangerous convicts. There are plenty of alternatives for nonviolent offenders, such as community service.
Shoot I've not been to prison and it's hard for me to know a lot about computer technology I know some studies are done on Zoom but I don't know how to go about it I am on disability so I don't need to do a lot of things on a laptop or computer and I can understand these people being so confused I mean I'm here in the the real world that's what you can call it and I wouldn't know what to do if someone told me to get on Zoom
This was amazing to read. I am an IT manager for a community center and this article describes my average client to a T. No prison time, but primarily people fleeing warzones etc. They arrive in Leeuwarden, and have no idea what a gas bill is, what email is, what an attachment is, or why they cannot visit a physical building and speak with a physical human being to handle their paperwork. It's second nature to everyone born here, but for people from outside the first world, it's just this side of magic. Helping people like that find their feet gives me great job satisfaction and makes me feel like I'm contributing despite my disability.
I'm sure this kind of thing contributes to a fair amount of recidivism, which is really sad.
My best friend is serving 30 years. He went in in 2009 and if he’s lucky will be out in 2025 He’ll have quite a bit to catch up on. I’m not super techy but I hope I can help him adjust to this world and not wish to go back in. 😞
This makes me wonder if there is some type of organization that specializes in getting inmates (and other people who need help) up to speed on technology. I would love to volunteer.
Our stupid criminal "justice" system serves stockholders in private prisons, but does very little for those inside prepare to rejoin society. This attorney rises above her peers.
People really shouldn’t be locked up that long, yes even if they rape or kill. If you’re not going to give them the death penalty then it makes no sense to keep them so long. Especially since they will eventually come out and just be a burden to society (and librarians apparently). Most other countries lock people away but a 30 year sentence should be reserved for depraved people. And it’s not like that here. If you’re going to release these fuçkers back into society than prepare them first at least so we don’t have to deal with their shît. The government wanted them locked away so the government should deal with it. I had a (now ex, thank god) boyfriend that did federal time for literally a couple grams of weed. Like two years in federal PRISON. He came out confused too, technology changes so fast. That was back in like 2009-ish I think.
Read up on Wesley Allan Dodd. Death was far to kind to him. Rotting in the bottom of an oubliette would be a better sentence.
Load More Replies...It'd be great to have better rehab programs in prisons. However, prisons are funded mainly by tax dollars. The cost is already something like $15k to $70k per inmate per year, depending on the state. Are people willing to pay more taxes to fund new programs? Or I guess there could be more programs to help keep people from becoming criminals. Either way, we'd probably need to pay more taxes.
Kinda yeah, I agree. It's a tough problem though. If we don't help them, their problems might make the rest of us suffer as well.
Load More Replies...did you also have to figure EVERYTHING out in one day, or one week, while everyone assumed you already knew it? I was 23 when my university had its first internet computer. It was a novelty. I made an email adress at hotmail because my now boyfriend pushed me, and i was able to figure everything out one at a time....
Load More Replies...“How can I make this about me and sound like an idiot? Hmmm, I know!” - Lola
Load More Replies...
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