California Bought Death-Row Inmates 90,000 Tablets.
They’re Using Them to Watch Porn and Groom Children.
In May 2026, City Journal published an investigation finding that condemned prisoners on California’s death row are using state-issued tablets to view pornography, hold sexually explicit conversations, and — in at least one federal case — sexually exploit a child. The tablets were purchased by California taxpayers under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA)“digital equity” initiative for incarcerated populations.
California issued approximately 90,000 tablets across the state prison system through a contract with Securus Technologies. The base contract value is $189 million over six years; with optional extensions, the maximum cost to taxpayers is up to $315 million. The state has publicly characterized the devices as “tightly controlled education tools” that provide inmates with access to the Bible, education, and reentry resources.
City Journal’s investigation found those controls are routinely evaded. Inmates told investigators that the security restrictions on adult content are trivial to work around. Douglas Eckenrod, the former CDCR Deputy Director for Adult Parole Operations, told City Journal he raised exactly these concerns during the tablet program’s internal debate. His warnings were set aside.
- 90,000Tablets issued to California inmates statewideCDCR program scale. Securus Technologies vendor contract.
- $315MMaximum taxpayer cost — Securus contract with extensions$189M base contract over 6 years; up to $315M with optional extensions.
- 1Documented federal case — death row inmate exploited a child via the tabletPer the City Journal investigation. The specific case is federal; CDCR has not addressed it on the record.
- Newsom (D-CA)Governor — owns the 'digital equity' framingNewsom administration framed the tablet expansion as a 'digital equity' initiative for the incarcerated. No public response to the City Journal findings in the source set.
- EckenrodFormer CDCR Deputy Director — warned during the debateDouglas Eckenrod, the former adult parole operations Deputy Director, told City Journal his concerns about pornography access and child grooming were 'set aside.'
The pornography evasion. Inmates told City Journal investigators that the “content filter” on the state-issued tablets is trivially circumvented. The devices include curated education content as the official use case, but the messaging functions and content-access pathways can be repurposed to receive and view explicit material.
The sexually explicit conversations. Death row inmates are using the messaging functions to conduct extended sexual exchanges with outside correspondents. The tablet-side controls do not, in practice, prevent the exchanges.
The child exploitation case. In at least one federal case identified by City Journal, a California death row inmate used the tablet to sexually exploit a minor. The procedural status of the federal case is not detailed in the source set; CDCR has not addressed it on the record.
The internal warning that was overruled. Douglas Eckenrod, the former CDCR Deputy Director for Adult Parole Operations, told City Journal he raised exactly these risks during the tablet expansion’s internal debate — pornography access and the possibility of child grooming through the messaging channel. Per City Journal, those warnings were “set aside” in favor of the program’s “digital equity” framing.
The agency’s only on-record response: CDCR told the New York Post the tablets are “tightly controlled education tools” providing inmates with “access to the Bible, education, and reentry resources that actually reduce crime.” The agency has not, in the source set, responded to the specific City Journal findings.
“I raised the concerns directly. I told them: the messaging channel is a child-grooming vector and the content filter will not survive contact with the incarcerated population. They set my warnings aside.”
Douglas Eckenrod · Former CDCR Deputy Director, Adult Parole Operations · to City Journal, May 2026
The vendor: Securus Technologies. The same company holds inmate-communications contracts in jurisdictions across the country.
The base contract: $189 million over six years. Paid by California taxpayers.
The maximum cost with optional extensions: $315 million. The state retains the option to extend.
The unit count: ~90,000 tablets across the California prison system. That puts the per-tablet cost at roughly $2,100 at the base contract and up to $3,500 at the extension ceiling — ten times the consumer cost of an off-the-shelf tablet.
The deliverable, in CDCR’s own framing: A “tightly controlled” device library. The City Journal investigation argues the “tightly controlled” framing is unsupportable on the operating record.
Our new investigation: California’s 90,000-tablet program for state prisoners is being used by condemned inmates to watch pornography, conduct explicit conversations, and groom a minor in at least one federal case. The state spent up to $315 million.
Governor: Gavin Newsom (D-CA). The tablet expansion is part of the Newsom administration’s “digital equity” framework for incarcerated populations. Newsom has not, in the source set, publicly addressed the City Journal report.
CDCR Secretary: Jeff Macomber (R, appointed by Newsom). Oversees the agency that runs the program. The CDCR press office’s only on-record response is the “tightly controlled education tools” framing.
Attorney General: Rob Bonta (D-CA). California AG. No public statement in the source set on the federal child-exploitation case generated by the tablet program.
Vendor: Securus Technologies. Holds the active contract. No public comment in the source set.
The legislative oversight question: California’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee has the authority to compel a State Auditor review of the program. Whether the committee moves on the City Journal findings is the open political question as of May 14.
California spent up to $315 million giving condemned prisoners tablets they are now using to watch porn and groom children. Gavin Newsom (D)called this “digital equity.”
Trump on California's CDCR tablet program — the broader posture on inmate amenity programs.
California paid up to $315 million for 90,000 tablets the state itself called “tightly controlled.”The City Journal’s investigation says the controls are not. A former CDCR deputy director warned them. A federal child-exploitation case proves it. Newsom calls it “digital equity.” The taxpayer calls it the bill.