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"Prison and jail communications is a $1.2 billion a year business, whose handsome profits come from serving a captive and inelastic market." Securus is used by

by Smerity 11y ago

"Prison and jail communications is a $1.2 billion a year business, whose handsome profits come from serving a captive and inelastic market." Securus is used by more than 1.2 million inmates and make $404 million in revenue, equating to an average of $336 per inmate per year, or $28 per month. This for a service that's far more limited than equivalent cheap prepaid mobile plans you'd be able to get. Other than just being amazed at the potential violations of attorney-client privilege, I'm stunned that they're allowed to price gouge a literally captive market, and then offer kickbacks to those helping them keep their monopoly. Given telecommunications can be lifelines to normality and returning to society a well adjusted and prepared individual, it's tragic. Remember, many people in prison in the US are there for non-violent offenses.

metasean 11y ago
On the upside... >(The Federal Communications Commission in October voted to cap calling rates and fees, a move that Securus and other industry leaders had fought, claiming the change would have a “devastating effect” on their businesses.) >Given telecommunications can be lifelines to normality and returning to society a well adjusted and prepared individual... Sadly, those seem to rarely be goals of our current prison systems.
- rdtsc 11y ago
  They are of the same caliber as the private prison system companies, which actively lobby against de-escallating the War On Drugs as it will directly affect their bottom line.
  - sdoering 11y ago
    Societies that privatize their correction system leading to inmates being raw material for generating profits, are in my eyes not allowed to carry the name 'society' (coming from latin socius = companion or fellow)[0] anymore. They are not fellows who correct and punish, they are slavers, outsourcing slavery for generating tax revenue and private revenue alike. I totally cannot understand any rationale behind a privatization of prisons, as it totally runs contrary to what society should want to get out of a prison system (rehabilitation, correcting wrong behavior, punishment). I know, I might sound harsh, but I really have no idea how a society can want a system like this, that extorts prisoners for privatized gains. [0]: https://translate.google.com/?ie=UTF-8&hl=de&client=tw-ob#la/en/socius https://translate.google.com/?ie=UTF-8&hl=de&client=tw-ob#la...
abalashov 11y ago
normality and returning to society a well adjusted and prepared individual I think it's been abundantly clear for quite some time that the goal of the US criminal justice and incarceration system is anything but rehabilitation.
SeanDav 11y ago
Non-violent crime is not necessarily soft crime. Ask someone who has been conned out of their life savings, or just plain had it stolen via some sort of fraud and now face an uncertain future with no financial security how seriously they view non violent crime...

by Smerity 11y ago

metasean 11y ago

On the upside... >(The Federal Communications Commission in October voted to cap calling rates and fees, a move that Securus and other industry leaders had fought, claiming the change would have a “devastating effect” on their businesses.) >Given telecommunications can be lifelines to normality and returning to society a well adjusted and prepared individual... Sadly, those seem to rarely be goals of our current prison systems.

rdtsc 11y ago
They are of the same caliber as the private prison system companies, which actively lobby against de-escallating the War On Drugs as it will directly affect their bottom line.
- sdoering 11y ago
  Societies that privatize their correction system leading to inmates being raw material for generating profits, are in my eyes not allowed to carry the name 'society' (coming from latin socius = companion or fellow)[0] anymore. They are not fellows who correct and punish, they are slavers, outsourcing slavery for generating tax revenue and private revenue alike. I totally cannot understand any rationale behind a privatization of prisons, as it totally runs contrary to what society should want to get out of a prison system (rehabilitation, correcting wrong behavior, punishment). I know, I might sound harsh, but I really have no idea how a society can want a system like this, that extorts prisoners for privatized gains. [0]: https://translate.google.com/?ie=UTF-8&hl=de&client=tw-ob#la/en/socius https://translate.google.com/?ie=UTF-8&hl=de&client=tw-ob#la...

abalashov 11y ago

normality and returning to society a well adjusted and prepared individual I think it's been abundantly clear for quite some time that the goal of the US criminal justice and incarceration system is anything but rehabilitation.

SeanDav 11y ago

Non-violent crime is not necessarily soft crime. Ask someone who has been conned out of their life savings, or just plain had it stolen via some sort of fraud and now face an uncertain future with no financial security how seriously they view non violent crime...