eBay’s Newest Oddity is a Fully Working Prison Tablet That Still Thinks You’re Locked Up

Johnzoid, the YouTube collector who spends his time hunting down the strangest electronics you can find, recently scored something that used to require a prison sentence. He ordered a JPay JP Mini 5 tablet on eBay, the same small device handed out free to inmates in multiple state systems. When the package arrived, it still carried the full institutional paperwork and a device ID that looks an awful lot like an inmate number.

The tablets were never intended to leave the facility. JPay gives them inmates for free at first, but charges when they use them for emails, songs, or movies. Until recently, the only way to get one was to be locked up in prison. A few units have emerged on the secondhand market, and Johnzoid was able to obtain one that is still operational with its original software.

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The tank-like body is a half inch thick and has a micro-USB jack and a 3.5mm headphone socket around the edge. On the side, there are four little buttons. The charging socket is totally transparent. The chord that came with it is merely a short wire, so kids cannot choke themselves. The instruction manual is a brief leaflet that explains the distinctions between lithium batteries and regular battery-powered devices. There is also a form to complete, similar to what an inmate would hand over at the front desk, with fields for name, housing location, item number, and tag number.

When you boot it up, the interface resembles a car radio from 2010. The OS is a very restricted version of Android from four years ago. There is no Play Store and no Wi-Fi. Tap the build number a dozen times, and all you’ll receive is a list of pre-loaded apps. The home screen contains half a dozen essential features, including a calendar, a photo gallery, a radio, a calculator, a few easy games, and a digital workbook for those who are alone.

The games are all rather simple, featuring spider solitaire, word searches, and a few card games. The word search option can take 5 minutes of your time with no effort at all. The calendar allows you to schedule activities and create reminders, whether you want to do 12 thousand press-ups or just mentally check off the days. The radio app requires a headphone socket to pick up stations, however earplugs or a radio should provide a clear enough signal.

The workbook game is particularly eye-opening because it functions as a digital survival handbook for inmates alone in their cell. There are crossword puzzles, drawing hobbies, nature photographs, encouraging slogans, and solid advice: adhere to a regular routine, get some exercise in your cell, and write to your loved ones. It even handles the more difficult parts of being locked up, such as losing communication with the outside world, running out of exercise time, and losing your stuff.