Inmate telephone system

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Inmate Telephone Systems have been designed to provide a monitored method for inmate and detainees to safely maintain contact with their family and friends, while at the same time providing tools to the jail management staff that permit recording, monitoring and alerts of inmate telephone activities.

Ideally, telephone service for inmates allows for the rehabilitation of inmates by allowing consistent communication with family and legal counsel ^[1]. This consistent communication prevents the detachment of the inmate from his family during a medium-term to long-term incarceration.

Standard inmate telephones include many of the following features:

1. Call recording capabilities
2. Live call monitoring
3. Alerts that warn staff that a particular inmate is making a call or a "watched" destination number is being called
4. Live call disconnection feature that allows staff to disconnect a call that may be threatening or criminal in nature
5. Destination number blocking, allowing the jail to block calls to victims or governmental employees
6. Phone blocking, allowing the jail staff to shut off a particular phone to prevent inmates from using the phone
7. System shutdown, allowing the jail staff to shut down the whole phone system in the case of riots or during quiet times
8. Free call feature for calls to public defenders, counsel or crises hotlines
9. Web-based management tools that allow off-premise staff to manage the phone system
10. Customer service features that allow inmates to report problems with calls or the phone system
11. International calling/international collect calling features for immigration detainees
12. Standard billing options normally include collect calling, prepaid or advance pay calling and debit cards

Rates for inmate calling systems generally range as low as $1 for a local call up to as much as $20 for a local call depending on the regulatory guidelines for the particular state or province where the jail is located. Jail phone service providers traditionally charge higher rates for the phone services than traditional home phone service since the phone systems are much more sophisticated, difficult to manage and require more service repairs. In 2007, HR 555 "The Family Telephone Connection Protection Act of 2007" ^[2] was introduced to begin the discussion of rate regulation for inmate telephone calls. This Bill has brought about the defining of the actual costs of telephone services from jails and may result in a standardization of rates among inmate telephone providers sometime in 2009 or 2010.

The future of inmate telephone and communication services will be the implementation of web-based video conferencing, inmate email services and other higher security features such as voice recognition and voice printing.

Notes

1. ^ Fred Mosely; Charles Sullivan: Using Inmate Calling Services for Rehabilitation, Offender Programs Report: Social and Behavioral Rehabilitation in Prisons, Jails and the Community Volume:5 Issue:5 Dated:January/February 2002 Pages:65-66, to 74
2. ^ Congressman Bobby L. Rush: "HR 555 The Family Telephone Connection Protection Act of 2007", 110th CONGRESS of the United States of America, 2007

External links

• Federal Communications Commission
• ATIS Telecom Glossary

Companies

• Public Communications Services, Inc. (PCS)
• TalkTelio Inmate Telephone Service
• Digital Solutions / Inmate Telephone, Inc. (DSI/ITI)
• NCIC Inmate Telephone Service
• Crown Correctional Telephone
• Encartele Inmate Phone Service
• Value-Added Communications, Inc.