PennLive Patriot-News: “Dauphin County jail administrators had to return tablets to men in three segregated units, one week after they confiscated the electronic devices.

The administration quietly took the tablets on June 19, as advocates prepared to rally outside the jail as part of an annual protest for better conditions.

After consulting with the jail’s lawyer, the policy has been reversed and men in the restricted housing units once again have access to their lifelines to the outside, PennLive has learned.

Commissioner Justin Douglas, who oversees the jail, confirmed the tablets were returned after Dauphin County Prison Solicitor Frank Lavery found the action could place the jail at legal risk.

The tablets are used for entertainment and phone calls, as well as legally protected uses like access to the law library, religious texts and mail.

Jail administration said the tablets were taken away because some men were breaking them and using the batteries to create a spark that allowed them to smoke illicit drugs….

The tablets were returned on June 27.

Dauphin County is currently facing a class-action lawsuit by the Abolitionist Law Center after tablets were confiscated from the same blocks in 2023. The lawsuit alleges that removing the tablets restricted access to legal-protected materials and services and violated the men’s rights.”

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