Scanning Pens are in the papers!

“Text-to-speech reading pens like ReaderPen Secure have taken off in the past three years, and are now used in around 90% of UK secure estate settings. In some, they’re only used in the education block – but other sites permit their use in cells or in the library, allowing prisoners to read everything from their favourite newspaper (Inside Times, of course), to legal documentation and books.”

➡️ Read the article in full at Inside Time, the UK’s national newspaper for prisoners and detainees.

It’s amazing to see what Inside Time and others have to say about our favourite reading pen designed for secure environments… but what about the people using the devices, too?

At Scanning Pens, we know that it takes a whole-prison approach to create real, workable reading support solutions for people in secure estate settings It’s this support that makes vital change possible. It makes successful transition on release an option for people who might otherwise have written themselves off. It builds a foundation for access to opportunities like jobs and training that can help beat the recidivism cycle.  

That’s why we’d also like to say a huge thank you to our friends at PeoplePlus and at Novus who have helped us make everything from the Inside Time feature to the work behind it possible, championed reading technologies like the ReaderPen Secure, and supported so many people towards a brighter reading future.

Meet the ReaderPen Secure:
the secure reading support that makes it all possible.

According to The Shannon Trust, 50% of people in UK secure estates can’t read, or struggle to. If we don’t support reading skills in these settings, that means that when they’re released, many people who have previously been in prison still struggle to access opportunities like pathways to work and education.

 The Secure Reader 2 is a text-to-speech reading aid that’s safe to use within the prison estate due to its unique storage-free design.

• Secure Reader 2 cannot backcharge mobile phones 

• Secure Reader 2 does not have removable batteries 

• Secure Reader 2 does not use Wi-Fi 

• Secure Reader 2 does not have built-in memory or storage. 

To find out more about the ReaderPen Secure or to take a look at our implementation guides and case studies, check out the Scanning Pens Resources Hub for Secure Estate Settings.