Your prison lover can now say ‘Be mine’ on Valentine’s Day with e-cards

Starting today prison inmates can know the effusive joy (and pain) that are e-cards, right from the comfort of their concrete cell. The innovation comes just in time for Valentine’s Day, so those of us with lovers in lockup can get some appreciation thrown our way.

A company called JPay, which provides digital devices that give inmates access to email, music, money, and video chat, is launching e-cards for correctional inmates today. The e-cards will cost $0.33 each to send.

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JPay is one of a few different companies working to digitally connect inmates all over the U.S. The company has deployed its network of tablets and kiosks in more than 1,200 correctional facilities around the country, reaching 1.7 million prisoners. While all inmates have access to these kiosks in prisons where they’re available, those who want to craft messages to loved ones in relative private can buy JPay tablets for $49. The company says it has sold 60,000 tablets to date.

Though $49 may seem like a reasonable price for a tablet, it’s worth keeping in mind that federal prison wages max out at $1.15 per hour and prisoners can earn as little as $0.12 an hour. And while prisons supply food, inmates have to cover the costs of hygiene products and entertainment — items subject to high markups. So even at this price, it’s a tough price to swing for many inmates — not to mention exploitative of a population with lots of time and little access to entertainment.

Still, some companies see tablets as a vehicle for more than just passing idle hours. Some, like American Prison Data Systems, are pushing tablets as educational tools that can lower recidivism.

Either way it’s clear prisons are evolving digitally — for better and worse.