Securus Disputes Assertion It's Abandoning Smaller Correctional Facilities
Securus Technologies says it continues to serve small and medium-sized correctional facilities, despite recent Pay-Tel Communications assertions that large inmate calling service (ICS) providers are abandoning them. Pay-Tel had said the number of facilities with average daily populations (ADPs) of…
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0-99 inmates served by Securus dropped from 751 in 2013 to 640 in 2014. But Securus said in an FCC filing posted Monday in docket 12-375 that Pay-Tel's information was out of date, because it was still serving 722 facilities with ADPs of 1-99 inmates in 2014. Securus also said the number of facilities with ADPs of 100-300 inmates that it served went up from 437 in 2013 to 444 in 2014, while Pay-Tel had asserted that the number of Securus-served facilities with ADPs of 100-349 dropped from 473 in 2013 to 430 in 2014. "Securus is not 'abandoning' any correctional facilities," Securus said. "Should the Commission nonetheless have any apprehension that small facilities will not be served under the new rules, Securus voluntarily commits to serving any facility of any size if the rate caps offered in the ICS Industry Proposal -- $0.20 per minute for debit calls and $0.24 per minute for collect calls -- are adopted." Securus also disputed a recent analysis from the Martha Wright et. al. petitioners that criticized its ICS cost data. Securus recently said FCC staff had told it that an ICS order would be released "in the near future" (see 1508210032). Meanwhile, the FCC received a letter Monday that said it was signed by 13 former and active federal and state correctional officials urging the commission "to use its clear authority to reduce the burden on people incarcerated and their families to remain in touch through phones by lowering rates as much as possible."