UK prisoners might receive iPads to study and communicate with family - report

"Prisoners spend a lot of time in cells, and we need to make that time more constructive," Ministry of Justice advisor Sir Martin Narey told The Times. "They should be meeting a tutor once a week, but doing work on literacy and numeracy on their own. We could look at giving prisoners iPads to work on in their cells."

Narey's suggestion is being considered by the Ministry of Justice as part of a larger review of prison-based education. "We want to improve education so prisoners are less likely to commit crime on release," the Ministry wrote in a statement provided to The Telegraph.

It's unclear if Narey has recommended Apple's products specifically, or was instead using the iPad name as a generic term for tablets.

Security firm G4S, a major prison outsourcing contractor, believes that the implementation of such a plan will inevitably "become the norm," with some concessions.

"There will have to be safeguards built in — we must not have people contacting victims," G4S Managing Director for Custodial and Detention Services Jerry Petherick said.