Last time she was on the outside, Lerlene Roever said car phones were a big thing, and she was using a Commodore 64 — one of the earliest versions of a home computer that was first released in 1982.

But on Wednesday at Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center, the 60-year-old inmate was confidently punching in requests on a wall-mounted touch screen, as well as ordering a bottle of Pantene Pro-V from the commissary and requesting a dentist’s appointment.

“I’ve been in for 25 years,” she said, tentatively comparing the experience to online shopping, which she’s never done. “Technology is weird to me. But I can still do it.”

The Nevada Department of Corrections has used electronic kiosks to aid in canteen purchases since 2012, but began testing them in the women’s prison in late 2016 for expanded uses, such as prescription refills that had previously been done through paper forms. In February, it rolled out the system at prisons statewide, adding the option of scheduling doctor’s appointments.

It’s a big step for the low-tech environment of a prison, where cell phones aren’t allowed for prisoners, visitors and most staff, and inmates can only watch TV in their cell if they buy one from the commissary with a see-through frame meant to prevent them from hiding contraband inside.

The kiosk’s appointment and prescription refill functions work a lot like a free-form text message or email — inmates write a short message with their request rather than fussing with check boxes or drop-down menus. A staffer on the other side sees the list of requests and can tap out a reply; inmates can return to one of seven or so kiosks in the facility later that day, log in and check their messages, or at least see if they have been read.

Previously, inmates would drop a paper request — called a “kite” — into a box that was checked at the end of each day. The Nevada prison medical system said it handled 52,000 of those documents last year alone.

Medications are particularly important at the women’s prison, where about one-third of inmates are on some sort of psychotropic drug. Many are on the anti-depressant Prozac, for example.

Inmates could sometimes go days without a reply through the paper system, and it left more opportunity for lost paperwork or anxiety about whether a prescription was indeed on its way. The new system, which flags requests that haven’t been addressed within 48 hours, increases communication and adds more of a human element.

“It lessens the frustration on both sides,” said pharmacist Linda Fox. “They need to know their needs are being met.”

Associate Warden Gabriela Garcia also said the new system helps inmates take greater charge of their own needs. That’s a key part of the department’s increased emphasis on re-entry — teaching social, emotional and practical skills that will help them be successful when they leave prison, rather than just keeping them busy behind bars.

“A lot were not responsible in the past about their needs,” she said. "With the self-service kiosks, they’re learning to regularly schedule their own doctor’s appointments."

And there’s the added benefit that the system maintains a detailed log of communication between prison staff and inmates. That’s something that staff said has reduced the number of grievances inmates have filed and — they hope — staves off lawsuits alleging the institutions aren’t responsive to offenders’ needs.

“This self-serve style of technology is well received in prisons by both the inmates and staff,” prisons chief James Dzurenda said in a statement. “This is just one more step in the right direction.”