Prison Phone #Technology and Toll Free Services

Prison phone service is big business and some argue that the core reason is that many may be unjustly incarcerated in U.S. prisons each year. So can today’s entrepreneurs fight to beat the system and get paid big rewards at the same time?

The firms that run and operate prisons are beginning to manage entire correctional facilities to sponsoring sporting stadiums, as seen with GEO’s name going up on Florida Atlantic University’s football stadium. Some might even speculate that companies like GEO subliminally hope to attract college students to dorm rooms.

Of all auxiliary services, phones are obviously one of the biggest profit centers for prison management firms and states. In fact, one prison telecommunications survey reported some states like California and New York are working with phone companies to charge double regular fees for prisoner calls and then receiving kickbacks for the difference.

Unfortunately, some inmates with disabilities don’t even get full access to communication services or have to deal with outdated technology. For the deaf, speech impaired, and mentally challenged this creates even more roadblocks. If you can’t call out for help or get an attorney that will really work on your behalf, what hope is there of ever being released or being granted an appeal? This has become a difficult and a more common scenario.

Some prisoners still rely on Morse Code to communicate with the outside world and have to pay double for the privilege of using TTY machines, while others seem to be denied contact altogether even though able bodied prisoners are granted access to video conferencing.

The ACLU is pushing to improve phone services for the disabled but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for innovative entrepreneurs to step in either. Others have stepped up to help improve phone services for inmates. Those attending TED last year probably caught Jeremy Gregg presenting on his prison entrepreneurship program that claims groundbreaking results including a miniscule 5% re-incarceration rate, 100% employment, and 100 businesses launched for those taking part.

So how can you innovate and find ways to use technology or todays affordable and nimble toll free services to improve this broken system, bring more justice, and perhaps even make a tangible difference in making the country a better place to live in?