Virtual Office Resource

Missing important calls can be a drag, especially when they’re from friends and family. Particularly if you are in an unpleasant and isolated situation.

That’s why GTL (News - Alert) has introduced a unique new VoIP solution called Request2Call. This solution enables inmates to know when their friends and family members want to reach them. Inmates can then opt to initiate a call to that person or to dismiss the message.

This solution is noteworthy, GTL says, because it can help combat recidivism. The company says that studies indicate inmates who stay in contact with their support networks are less likely to commit future offenses and be incarcerated again.

"GTL is constantly innovating and investing in our customers and in our technology—like this industry-first feature—in order to help inmates and their friends and family members connect easily and efficiently," said Mark Meleski, Vice President of Consumer Experience at GTL.  "As a company, we are not only dedicated to offering the best technology, we are dedicated to offering the best technology that enables connection over various mediums, promoting communication, which helps combat recidivism."

Request2Call combines GTL’s Inmate Telephone System and its Inspire tablet solutions. Friends and family use the GTL ConnectNetwork website or mobile app to submit a call request to an inmate. After the request is made, the inmate gets a message about that request and who it’s from. The inmate can then initiate a call on an Inspire tablet or dismiss the message. And GTL’s Inmate Telephone System allows for call recording, monitoring, reporting, voice biometrics, and more.

Reducing recidivism is important to help make our world safer, to get and keep individuals on the right track, and to save money. According to 2015 numbers from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the budget to maintain the prison population is around $74 billion.

“Recidivism comes with a high price tag (News - Alert),” says EfficientGov, an independent information service addressing fiscal and operational challenging facing cities and towns. “Lessening our prison population by lowering recidivism rates has the potential to decrease the current cost of the prison system.”