An introduction to the JP3 player and the JPay media platform
Many of our readers, even those who are longtime JPay customers, are interested in learning more about the products and services available to their incarcerated loved ones. This post looks at one of the most dynamic (and popular!) products JPay offers: the JP3 player and media platform, which gives inmates in five states access to millions of digital music tracks.
Music In Prison
Access to music in American prisons is not a new phenomenon; as long ago as 1952, academic studies have explored the effect of music on inmate populations. In some departments of correction and individual prison facilities, listening to a transistor radio in either living units or common areas was a desirable privilege. As personal music devices became available to the public in the late 1970s and early 1980s, prison administrations recognized their potential as behavior modification tools (both as an incentive/privilege and as a way to calm populations). Personal, portable cassette players – and later personal CD players – with headphones proliferated in America’s prisons.
The inherent challenges with these personal music players is that require a separate media source (a record, cassette, or CD). Distribution of media, theft, and misuse create substantial issues for facility staff. Coupled with the fact that a shard of broken plastic, like a shattered CD, can become an improvised weapon, it is clear that devices that reply on external media are not the ideal vehicles for delivering music to inmate populations.
Better Players, Better Music
Technological evolution provided a solution, however, with the introduction of solid-state playback devices. Many media players available to the public contain no internal moving parts, which makes then difficult to disassemble and misuse. Most importantly, today’s media players do not rely on external media, but rather play back downloaded digital music. This makes the MP3-format player uniquely suitable for corrections environments, needing only a few modifications to become the ideal prison music player.
The JP3 player has all of those modifications; it is effectively prison-proof and seamlessly delivered to inmates. Constructed of clear shatterproof plastic, featuring no moving parts, and a break-resistant screen, the device has been tested time and again in some of the hardest prison environments in the country.
JPay currently offers the JP3 player at facilities in Michigan, Washington, Georgia and Louisiana. Tens of thousands of inmates in these states can purchase the player –or have their loved ones purchase the player for them through JPay.com – for $39.99. The players themselves plug into the JPay kiosks installed in the living units at the facilities, where the inmate can preview, purchase and download music tracks from a library of more than 10 million titles, including hits from many of today’s most popular artists. Songs can be purchased individually or by album, usually for around $1.99 apiece.
Once a JP3 player is purchased, it is registered to the inmate and shipped directly to their facility, which can take a few weeks. This registration process ensures that the player can only be used in conjunction with that inmate’s password-protected account on the JPay kiosks; this helps prevent theft, since the JP3 player would lock in a non-functioning state if another inmate attempted to use it.
The JP3 is also delivered to the inmate preloaded with three simple games: a Tetris-like block game, Sudoku, and a picture puzzle. Additional media like audiobooks are available to download to the JP3 in some facilities. JPay’s next generation digital device – the JP4, like a phablet without the phone – will allow inmates to read and compose emails, download saved photo attachments, and even play video.
To learn more about the JP3 player, or to purchase one for your loved one, visit http://www.jpay.com/pmusic.aspx.
157 Comments
JPayJT
January 25, 2019 - 11:31 amHi J – Please email support@JPay.com and customer service will direct your email to the appropriate product manager. Thanks!
J
January 23, 2019 - 8:38 amPlease direct me on how to get my artist music in the prisons kiosik ..I am finding that a few of these on line companies are scams …asking for money up front to tell you how to do it..
JPayJT
January 16, 2019 - 12:30 pmHi Milton – Please email support@JPay.com; customer service will direct your email to the appropriate product manager. Thanks!
Milton Ashford
January 13, 2019 - 12:58 pmI was wondering how can I get my music put on jpay I have some love ones that want to purchase my music. The name is at dat chu by f.kom u can email me or give me a call @ (567) 322- 2604
JPayJT
December 14, 2018 - 12:37 pmHi Xrystyne – Your loved one should write a trouble ticket through the JPay kiosk explaining the issues. A Customer Service representative will respond with next steps. Thanks!
Xrystyne
December 13, 2018 - 7:46 amMy loved one has a problem with his JP3 mp3 player, it no longer works or turns on. How can this be resolved?
JPayJT
September 13, 2018 - 1:14 pmHi Lacey – You can see all services available in TX on JPay.com. Thanks!
Lacey
September 8, 2018 - 6:54 pmI need to know of any of the services are there none at all for Texas other then the basics?like email .n such.
Chantelle Lee
November 24, 2017 - 9:59 amHow can I upload my music onto JPAY
Whitney Harper
November 14, 2017 - 11:12 pmI am wanting to know how I can get my music on the JP3 Players???
Sammie bailey
November 10, 2017 - 7:28 pmI need to know step by step how to get my music on jpay
Nathan
November 10, 2017 - 3:03 amWhere can I find the music I purchased through jpay while I was in prison?
JPayModerator
November 2, 2017 - 1:53 pmHi Barbara – Please contact our customer support at support@jpay.com for more information.
Barbara
October 31, 2017 - 9:23 pmI have a friend incarcerated in Virginia who asked me to upload our music on Jpay. Our music is on Itunes, but not sure how to get it on Jpay so that my friend and others can purchase it. Can you help?
Music by The Fryed Brothers Band. Thank you
Shante
October 24, 2017 - 7:01 pmHello I am a independent artist who are looking to upload a few albums along with another artist from my team we called jpa y 1800 number and they told us to e- mail y’all can someone tell us how we can get out albums on jpay
Tiffany
October 21, 2017 - 8:40 pmI would like to know who is the distributor you get your music from so I can contact them.
Marie Matthews
September 19, 2017 - 1:39 pmcan you tell me how to add music to jpay for inmates to purchase?
Elle
September 16, 2017 - 3:04 amDoes anyone know how I can get my artists music in the Jpay Kiosks
mario
September 5, 2017 - 9:59 amWhat third party company does jpay get music through and how can i get my music in jpay?
JPayModerator
October 4, 2017 - 3:59 pmHi – LG – The music available for download on the kiosk are only provided in Non-Explicit versions. We thank you for your interest.
LG
August 28, 2017 - 11:46 pmHi, can you tell me if the music is only available in clean/ radio versions?
susie
August 8, 2017 - 12:29 pmHi, can you please help me? I’ve tried so hard to get in contact with someone at JPAY. We are friends with a child whose father will be in prison for many, many years to come. We want him to be able to get something called “Through the Bible” which is a five year Bible Study by J. Vernon McGee. It is something that is shared around the world, has podcasts and audio and more. PLease help, thanks.
Editor
August 15, 2017 - 3:19 pmHi Christopher – Congrats on your release! In order to have your JP5 Tablet unlocked, please send it to the following address:
ATTN: Media Department
12034 Miramar Pkwy
Miramar, FL 33025
Please make sure to include your name, previous ID #, a phone number to contact you with the status of the JP5 and a mailing address to return the unlocked JP5. Once the JP5 is unlocked, you can then connect it to a computer to upload your media downloads as well as add new media to the device. Please let us know if you have any questions. Have a nice day!
christopher nichols
July 3, 2017 - 12:06 pmi was recently released and have a jp5 tablet that has now locked up on me. i need to know how do i get the locked removed from it? no answer from the jpay customer service hotline. so could someone please tell me how to get this issue taken care
Editor
July 7, 2017 - 2:03 pmHi Brenda – The JP5 tablet is available in Ohio.The best way to find out pricing is to log into your JPay account on JPay.com and see which options are available for you to purchase on your loved ones’ behalf. If the option to purchase the JP5 tablet is not available from your JPay account, please contact our customer service at 800-574-5729 for assistance. Keep in mind, your loved one can only have one tablet. However, if he/she currently has a JP5 device, only he/she could upgrade or purchase a new tablet from the kiosk. This is often the reason why people don’t see the option to buy a JP5 device on JPay.com.
Brenda Anderson
June 29, 2017 - 2:32 pmIs the JPay 5 available on Ohio? IF so what is the cost?
Editor
June 21, 2017 - 10:03 amHi Joe, we do not publish the music library that is available to inmates; they can view and browse it on the JPay kiosks in their units.
Joe byam
June 21, 2017 - 9:09 amHi, is there a way to see what songs and albums are available to inmates? I can’t find any information about this on the internet. Thank you, Joe
Lee Sturdivant
May 30, 2017 - 4:24 pmInterstate trap SlapBoy Muzik Smacc da Trappa http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1167546931?ls=1&app=itunes
Lee Sturdivant
May 30, 2017 - 4:21 pmSlapBoy Muzik Smacc da Trappa
Editor
April 24, 2017 - 2:44 pmHi Crystal – Yes but very uncommon.
Crystal
April 24, 2017 - 9:19 amIs it possible for an inmate to crack the screen on his tablet ?
Editor
March 14, 2017 - 10:42 amHi Atheena- Please contact our customer support at support@jpay.com
Atheena Goble
March 12, 2017 - 12:37 pmI am an independent artist and want my music to be everywhere. How can I get my music distributed on to JPay for inmates to buy?
Editor
February 14, 2017 - 10:09 amHi Kc- We are not accepting new music at this time.
Kc
February 12, 2017 - 5:06 pmHow can I get my music for sale on jpay
Editor
December 28, 2016 - 11:41 amHi Thomas – We do not accept music for our kiosk. If you have additional questions, please contact our customer service at 800-574-5729.
Thomas
December 24, 2016 - 11:33 amHow do you get your music distributed on Jpay for resale?
Editor
December 12, 2016 - 11:06 amHi Tarji- We are working on finalizing the details and we will make sure to communicate any updates. Have a great day!
tarji marshall
December 9, 2016 - 1:58 amwhen will movies and ebooks be available for purchase, the movies are in rumor jpay talks about ebooks just no release date.
Editor
December 5, 2016 - 10:43 amHi Kris- The JP5 tablet is not available in Kansas.
Kris
December 1, 2016 - 7:12 pmAre the JP media tablets available in El Dorado prison in El Dorado, ks.?
Editor
December 1, 2016 - 11:38 amHi Corliss- We use a third-party provider for music.
Corliss
November 26, 2016 - 6:48 amWhere do you get the music from, that’s in the jpay music library?
Editor
November 28, 2016 - 10:11 amHi Julia- Music is not available in the state of North Dakota. Please be aware we are working to bring more services, including music.
Julia H.
November 24, 2016 - 11:58 amWhy can’t I order music for my son who is at Dakota?
Editor
December 1, 2016 - 11:48 amHi Jazzy- Please contact our customer support at support@jpay.com for more information.
Jazzy
November 18, 2016 - 4:14 pmHello I am a independent label owner and I’m interested in getting my artist music in the prison system. And I was wondering if you could reply to my email and send me detailed information on how to go about successfully getting all of my artists music in the prison system for sale?
Editor
October 14, 2016 - 10:36 amHi Mildred- Please have your loved one submit a trouble ticket and our support team will be able to assist him.
mildred
October 9, 2016 - 5:35 pmhow does an inmate fix his broken jp5 tablet, the usb cord need to be replaced. he is in the state of Georgia, how can this be fix.
Editor
September 6, 2016 - 10:40 amHi Andre- We do not accept new music for our kiosks. Have a great day!
Andre lamb
September 4, 2016 - 3:44 pmDoes JPay receive music from independent artist..If so how can I sell music to Jpay
Editor
September 6, 2016 - 10:57 amHi Monique- We do not accept new music for our kiosks. Thank you for your interest. Have a great day!
Monique Taylor
September 1, 2016 - 4:28 pmHow can I upload my music to jpay for sale.
Editor
August 25, 2016 - 1:10 pmHi Dalia- Thank you for interest. At this time we do not any information regarding the availability in the state of Texas but will make sure to communicate any updates. Have a great day!
Dalia
August 25, 2016 - 8:43 amWhen will the jp3 players will be available to purchase in Huntsville tx
Vincent
February 15, 2014 - 10:07 amThis is truly amazing -thank you jpay!