Former Incarcerated individual Changes the Course of His Life with Education, Walking in Graduation Ceremony and Receiving his College Degree

DALLAS, Texas (May 6, 2019) – Tablet technology is helping to educate incarcerated individuals on a massive scale. JPay’s Lantern is the largest digital education program in corrections and through a partnership with Ashland University, the program is changing the trajectory of more than 85,000 incarcerated individuals, including previously incarcerated, Ronnie Hopkins. When serving time for manufacturing methamphetamines, Hopkins credits education and his faith for changing from a life of crime to a life of productivity and community outreach. Hopkins graduated on Saturday, May 4 from Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio with an Associate of Arts degree in General Studies. JPay, a Securus Technologies Company, designs, builds and deploys its technology to prisons and jails across the country to help educate and rehabilitate offenders. JPay’s educational initiative with Ashland University is powered by Lantern, the first digital learning platform in corrections. More than 85,000 incarcerated students have enrolled in Lantern nationwide and have earned over 33,000 college credits to date. Hopkins learned about Lantern once he was released from solitary confinement. His first milestone was earning his GED, and then he immediately enrolled in Lantern, focusing on math, since it was a subject he struggled with. After his release, Hopkins continued his education through Lantern remotely, working diligently to reach his goal – earn a college degree. “On the same day I learned that I passed my GED exam, a friend told me about Ashland University and how I could begin my higher education courses using JPay tablets. I knew I wanted to continue my education and take advantage of the opportunities,” Hopkins said. “I was learning how to manage my time, contribute to my community and become a productive citizen once released,” Hopkins stated. “I knew that I couldn’t fix my past, but I could change my future.” Hopkins now works for a nonprofit and serves as a youth director at his church. He also travels around the nation, sharing his story in hopes that his mistakes might be their salvation. About JPay JPay, a Securus Technologies Company, designs, builds and deploys its technology to prisons and jails across the country, establishing correspondence to help educate and rehabilitate offenders. Serving more than 1.9 million offenders and parolees in 36 states, JPay makes the corrections process more convenient for offenders and their loved ones, while modernizing processes and increasing intelligence capabilities for corrections facilities. Products include money transfer services, tablets, email and video communications, education, games, music, movies and more. For further information, please visit JPay.com.