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Honest question, because I have no idea how this all works: if people can just send letters for the cost of a stamp then why do they use Global Tel Link or Secu

Honest question, because I have no idea how this all works: if people can just send letters for the cost of a stamp then why do they use Global Tel Link or Securus? Really great thing you're doing here, I hope it all works out.

jessehorne 6y ago
The benefits of using those services are that communication is much faster when you can just write up a message on your phone or computer and click "send". If you can afford it, it's the preferred way to go. It's better than having to wait for days upon days, and even weeks for your letter to arrive. Even though from what I've heard, a letter is much more personal and very much appreciated.
tyingq 6y ago
They use jPay and similar because it's faster. Typically in the incarcerated person's hand in a day or two. USPS takes longer, then the prison contraband checking process, etc.
- bdcravens 6y ago
  I believe jPay letters are printed out at the facilities and then distributed
  - tyingq 6y ago
    Yes, that's correct.
gavinray 6y ago
If you think the letter prices are bad, try: - $3.15/15 mins for a domestic phone call - $15/20 mins video call/teleconference if your jail/prison has them and you/someone else are willing to fork out that much (You may be there a while and so have to stretch whatever money you have left as far as possible) - I don't even want to know how much for an international call - $1 for a single pack of ramen - $5 for a 5oz bag of freeze-dried coffee And even if you have the money, you'd better hope someone picks up when you get your phonecall and/or that you know people's addresses or phone-numbers offhand. US Justice system is a nightmare. Gotta love JPay, Bob Barker, and Aramark.
- syshum 6y ago
  >US Justice system is a nightmare. I would stop calling it a justice system, we have a legal system for which any "justice" is by pure coincidence
garrettgrimsley 6y ago
Not OP, but I spent 11 months technically in US Federal custody, but in practice I was incarcerated in various county jails [0] that they contract with. I have experience with PayTel and Securus. At the facilities I housed in the digital > printed letter systems were not offered [1], everything was through USPS or your standard parcel carriers for packages. Books from outside were allowed. Global Tel Link, Securus, and PayTel have a very literal captive customer base when it comes to phone communications. While almost everyone wrote letters, a phone call is a much different form of communication. You can actually have a live conversation with a loved one! You can hear their voice, and respond in real time. For this reason, we paid the price demanded by the companies. In my state of North Carolina, the maximum price of a local call through PayTel was $.40/minute. The long-distance rates were cheaper, and so people would get Google voice numbers to get the cheaper rate. [0] Wake County Detention Center, Edgecombe County Jail, and Albemarle District Jail. [1] I could absolutely see these systems being utilized. They could take the roundtrip latency of text-based communication down to a day if the facility had a kiosk from which we could send replies. I was told by people on the yard that this is how CorrLinks works.

jessehorne 6y ago

The benefits of using those services are that communication is much faster when you can just write up a message on your phone or computer and click "send". If you can afford it, it's the preferred way to go. It's better than having to wait for days upon days, and even weeks for your letter to arrive. Even though from what I've heard, a letter is much more personal and very much appreciated.

tyingq 6y ago

They use jPay and similar because it's faster. Typically in the incarcerated person's hand in a day or two. USPS takes longer, then the prison contraband checking process, etc.

bdcravens 6y ago
I believe jPay letters are printed out at the facilities and then distributed
- tyingq 6y ago
  Yes, that's correct.

gavinray 6y ago

If you think the letter prices are bad, try: - $3.15/15 mins for a domestic phone call - $15/20 mins video call/teleconference if your jail/prison has them and you/someone else are willing to fork out that much (You may be there a while and so have to stretch whatever money you have left as far as possible) - I don't even want to know how much for an international call - $1 for a single pack of ramen - $5 for a 5oz bag of freeze-dried coffee And even if you have the money, you'd better hope someone picks up when you get your phonecall and/or that you know people's addresses or phone-numbers offhand. US Justice system is a nightmare. Gotta love JPay, Bob Barker, and Aramark.

syshum 6y ago
>US Justice system is a nightmare. I would stop calling it a justice system, we have a legal system for which any "justice" is by pure coincidence

garrettgrimsley 6y ago

Not OP, but I spent 11 months technically in US Federal custody, but in practice I was incarcerated in various county jails [0] that they contract with. I have experience with PayTel and Securus. At the facilities I housed in the digital > printed letter systems were not offered [1], everything was through USPS or your standard parcel carriers for packages. Books from outside were allowed. Global Tel Link, Securus, and PayTel have a very literal captive customer base when it comes to phone communications. While almost everyone wrote letters, a phone call is a much different form of communication. You can actually have a live conversation with a loved one! You can hear their voice, and respond in real time. For this reason, we paid the price demanded by the companies. In my state of North Carolina, the maximum price of a local call through PayTel was $.40/minute. The long-distance rates were cheaper, and so people would get Google voice numbers to get the cheaper rate. [0] Wake County Detention Center, Edgecombe County Jail, and Albemarle District Jail. [1] I could absolutely see these systems being utilized. They could take the roundtrip latency of text-based communication down to a day if the facility had a kiosk from which we could send replies. I was told by people on the yard that this is how CorrLinks works.