House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses Chairman Brandon Gill, and Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency Chairman Tim Burchett announced on May 26 an investigation into California’s prisoner digital tablet program and the state’s use of federal funds. The lawmakers cited recent reporting that some prisoners have used state-issued tablets to sexually exploit women and minors from within prison.
In a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom, the committee members requested documents and communications regarding the oversight of federal criminal rehabilitation funding and whether any federal grants were used for the state’s prisoner digital tablet program. “The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is conducting oversight of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) prisoner digital tablet program and the administration of federal grant funds by the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC),” wrote Comer, Gill, and Burchett. “Recent reporting indicates that California’s prison inmates are exploiting these state-issued tablets to access and distribute pornographic content. Even worse, reports indicate that some inmates have used these tablets to sexually exploit women and minors from their prison cells. These shocking revelations about prisoner tablet use call into question the federal funds and grants given to California for the specific purpose of reducing crime and rehabilitating criminals, just as California’s prisoner tablet program reportedly achieves the exact opposite purpose. The Committee requests documents and communications to inform its oversight of federal funds given to California through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Affairs.”
According to reports referenced by lawmakers, nearly all prisoners in California had received digital tablets by mid-2023. While initial funding for this program appears primarily sourced from CDCR state funds, millions in annual federal tax dollars are also provided through various grant programs aimed at criminal rehabilitation or law enforcement support.
The committee letter cited a 2023 case involving Nathaniel Diaz, who was convicted after using his state-issued prison tablet to sexually message a 12-year-old girl while incarcerated. Lawmakers noted that Governor Newsom has recently dismissed concerns about inmate abuse connected with this technology despite ongoing questions about monitoring procedures.
“The Committee is concerned that California’s programs may be using taxpayer funds to perpetuate sexual violence,” continued Comer, Gill, and Burchett in their letter. “It is highly concerning, though not surprising, that convicted criminals found various ways around the safety controls on the tablet program, engaged in criminal behavior via the tablets, and consumed, sent, and received child sexual abuse material.”
