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Only three of North Carolina’s 100 counties have fulfilled prison phone requests
North Carolina has exactly 100 counties, and two weeks ago, MuckRock sent a public records request to each one of them in an effort to learn more about inmates’ options for prison communication.
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Wyoming jails receive between 25 and 50 percent of inmate phone charges
As part of a survey being conducted my MuckRock, seven of the state’s 23 county sheriff departments have provided their contracts, offering additional looks into agreements by Turnkey, Telmate, and Securus, one of the country’s largest providers of inmate prison communication services.
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Prison phone giant Securus sues Florida Department of Corrections for awarding a contact to a competitor
One of the largest providers of prison phone services in the United States is suing the Florida Department of Corrections for violating the procurement process in awarding a contract for inmate communications services to a competitor.
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The state of criminal justice and prison privatization as we enter 2019
Between a federal shutdown, ongoing litigation, and new efforts to change bad policy, there’s a lot going on in the nation’s criminal justice system. Here’s what you might have missed.
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A fifth of Sheriffs’ Departments in Georgia have failed to respond to our prison phone requests.
Of the 159 Georgia county Sheriffs’ Departments that received our request, 63 have completed it, 14 have claimed to have no responsive documents, and another 15 are requesting payment for the materials. (You can help us pay for these fees by contributing to the crowdfund on the project page.)
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Prison phone company Securus looking to acquire major competitor ICSolutions
The Federal Communications Commission is currently considering a bid by Securus Technologies, one of the largest providers of prison phone services in the country, to further consolidate its hold on the inmate communications market by acquiring a competitor, Inmate Calling Solutions, which is currently owned by Keefe Group. The companies argue that a merger wouldn’t edge out competitors.
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Wyoming prison phone contract remains withheld under “trade secrets” clause
Though contracts are usually subject to disclosure, prison phone company ICSolutions added a provision in Wyoming that is preventing the release of its financial agreement in a state with no administrative appeal option.
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Laramie County, Wyoming withholds prison phone contract under “trade secret” clause
According to the Laramie County Sheriff’s Department in Wyoming, a request for its contract with inmate phone service provider Inmate Calling Solutions (ICSolutions) cannot be made public because the agreement itself is consider a “trade secret.”
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Bristol County is being sued for its prison phone costs
The Bristol County Sheriff’s Department is on the receiving end of a lawsuit filed last week alleging improper billing practices that have doubled inmates’ phone bills.
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In a number of Louisiana parishes, prisons receive over a 50% commission from inmate phone calls
Last fall, in the wake of news that Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish would be moving to video-only visitation, MuckRock began requesting materials from parish law enforcement throughout the state. We need your help to bring this scrutiny close to your home.