Today is August 15th, 2026, as I make an entry on the slow transition of the (worthless) Keefe tablet to the (hopeful) Securus EVOTAB.
Quite a bit has been going on, as I try to research what I can about the new tablet, but at the same time, I have been getting research information from outside sources about Keefe; there is much to be desired.
We know that (as of 2026) Keefe is owned by TKC Holdings, which is owned by H.I.G. Capital, some $70 billion dollar equity firm. I mentioned months ago that the rumors were that the Bushs (both Presidents) owned Keefe. I don’t know where that idea came from, but it was accepted that this was true for years — until I had my brother look it up. Something anyone could have done long ago.
This is a testament to the importance of doing the research. Too many times, we go by www.inmate.com, which is right 50% of the time. I have been burned many times by taking at face value something that an inmate said he heard from an officer. Yes, they can be right sometimes, but oftentimes, especially here at USP Tucson, they can be maliciously wrong.
This is why I call the Trust Fund Officers “The Baskin Robbins of Lies” because you never know what flavor of lie you’ll get from them.
The information I got from a very good research organization gives me quite a bit of information on Keefe, although I kinda don’t need it now. I requested the information a while back, when we did not know about the transition. It can take a few months for these organizations to research and send the information, so it is key to be aware of the timeline.
But, the organization did send me the BOP[i] memo about the transition and another copy of the BOP Tablet Implementation Initiative, along with other articles about tablets in prisons. There is some meat on the bone that I can use later, as I continue to document how worthless Keefe has been to us with the tablets.
Yet, I would be ignorant not to mention that the administration of the BOP at the time was just as guilty. There are several articles from Wired to Prison Journalism Project and others that show that the BOP was very restrictive with our content, which was why we got literally nothing on the tablet. To be sure, there is enough blame to go around.
So last night, a guy comes to me and asks that the next time I post a memo (usually Sunday nights), I include documentation that everyone will get a tablet. He said this because he got in a debate with another inmate who was telling him that Securus will be selling us tablets, not giving them out.
This guy is completely wrong, and it is not the first time this person has been wrong.
This is the same guy who, a couple of months ago, challenged my memo by telling other guys that his sister said that it said online that we would be buying the tablets, and they would be putting chargers in each cell. I said to a person, that’s not what every source I’ve found said. It’s a “1 to 1” program, which means everyone gets one. It’s a loaner program.
By the end of that night, the inmate who made those accusations came back to me and said his sister was incorrect, and that I was right.
About a month later, I posted notes about prisons that had issues with transitions from one vendor to another. I included Idaho prisons and the tablets they were transitioning from. The SAME GUY challenged my memo, stating his sister says that my information is wrong because Idaho state prisons never changed their tablet.
I told the guy that I got the information from case law and even quoted it to him. I told him that my brother looked it up and found sources. The guy told me that he’ll believe his sister before he believes any questionable source. But I talked to another inmate, who lived in Idaho. He confirmed what I said and even went to that other inmate and told him to his face that what I posted was right. The guy was humbled yet again.
And yet, here he is again, questioning what I am sharing. Gosh, stop drinking the Hate-R-Aid!
So, the idea is to try to get more information about the tablet, the EVOTAB. We now have a picture of the tablet, and it will be 8 inches and is PURPLE (for Catamount Fans, private joke). My brother told me this info weeks ago, but some said it would be 8 1/2 inches diameter and black. Well, it looks black when staff make copies of our mail.
There is great anticipation of the upcoming tablet, but the guys here are trying to find out exactly when we are supposed to get them. Some say you can check a tab on the Securus Technologies site, and it will tell you exactly when we are supposed to get them. I am not so sure about that; it sounds like a security thing, so the BOP may not release that info. They can find out who already has them, and there are rumors that a couple of women’s prisons have them; some say Butner has them. We don’t really know because we’re going back to www.inmate.com. I cannot post what I cannot share a citation for.
I share with the guys about info I got about why Keefe is suddenly dumping all these cheap games on us, and it appears that Keefe is trying to empty our accounts, knowing that the content is not transferable to the Securus. It’s their desperate grasp at a few dollars, dumping free source games and charging us for it, to maximize their profit before they are pushed out for the new tablets from Securus.
It’s a cheap move, and much like a middle finger to us. For years, we begged them for decent games. They refused. They went months without a single game update or catalogue, then dumped more free source games on us. Now, as they are nearing the end of their contract, they want us to spend money with them. And if I am correct, the lack of maintenance of the tablets is starting to show. Over the previous three weeks, they have dumped games developed by M and Doondook Studios on us. I wonder why they keep grabbing games from them?
We’ve said for years, “If you want us to spend money, give us games we WANT.” It is clear that the best games for the guys here have been the role-playing games (RPG) and the real-time strategy (RTS) games. When we first got the tablets, there were a few games on it, and we thought we would live “happy ever after.”
Until the shocking twist where the fairy tale turns into a horror movie. Remember the ending of the first two “Friday the 13th” movies? Yep, Keefe was Jason.
I expect to be writing more about Securus, but hopefully in a good way. Maybe we will now get the content we should have gotten with Keefe. One guy claims that we won’t get e-messaging. That is incorrect; everyone will get e-messaging. In fact, nearly everything will be on the tablet.
My job is to continue to document as best as I can what I find, to research all I can about the tablet, as well as Securus, so that we are informed about what is going on. We got a two-month jump on most other places, thanks to my brother who looks this stuff up for me. I told him a lot of the guys here want him to know that they are grateful for his help. It is truly appreciated, and I don’t say that lightly.
Well, we’ll see if there is any new info to get from the local radio show, in about 15 minutes, and maybe some more info from my brother when I talk to him over this weekend. Stay tuned, there obviously is much more to share…
[i] Federal Bureau of Prisons.
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