Securus Selected as Inmate Communications Services Provider

By Madhubanti Rudra, TMCnet Contributor

One of the largest suppliers of detainee communications and information management solutions, Securus Technologies, Inc., recently announced the winning of a new contract from Jefferson County Detention Center of Waurika, Okla.

In a press release, the Dallas-based company said that it has been selected by the correctional facility as the exclusive provider of its inmate telephone system and communications services provider.

In the release, Securus further informed that the center has selected its products and solutions only after evaluating several other competitors.

Waurika’s Jefferson County Detention Center is a Jail Trust Authority facility with 120 beds. The detention center was recently renovated and will be able to accept inmates in January 2011. Securus’s industry leading inmate calling and investigative system, Secure Call Platform (SCP), and several of its communications solutions are expected to create multiple streams of revenue, while limiting the need for correctional facility manpower, for the facility.

These revenue streams, in the form of commission paid back to the facility, included:

Prepaid Card Kiosk – allows an inmate's friends and family (F&F) members to purchase calling cards for their incarcerated loved ones from a convenient kiosk located in the lobby of the facility. With convenient, self-service access, F&F members are able to purchase the cards they desire without assistance from the facility's staff. 

Voicemail – provides a two-way communication solution that allows F&F members to leave a secure voicemail message for their incarcerated loved one. For facilities, the product increases revenue opportunities with no capital investment, and helps grow constituent support by providing them with more convenient and affordable communications options.

Commissary Order by Phone (News - Alert) (COBP) – allows an inmate to order commissary goods through the inmate telephones. For facilities, COBP generates an additional stream of revenue with no capital investment, while reducing the manpower needed to manually process orders.

“Our decision to go with Securus came down to the overall package. We needed a provider that could help us limit physical labor while maximizing revenue opportunities. Securus' package was the best. Also, everybody I talked to was helpful, informative, and did what they said they'd do,” said Chief Administrator of Jefferson County Detention Center, in a statement.

In September, Securus Technologies, announced that its technology was instrumental in finding the source of a bomb threat made near the Sarasota County Jail on Aug. 16, 2010. Using features within the inmate telephone system deployed by Securus Technologies, law enforcement personnel were able to quickly match phone records to a specific telephone within the jail, and then were able to identify the inmate involved by matching call detail information to video imagery on the jail video surveillance system.

(source: http://communication-solutions.tmcnet.com/topics/communication-solutions/articles/131189-securus-selected-as-inmate-communications-services-provider.htm)