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Judge Takes Aim At Florida Prison Phone Contract
September 18, 2014
An administrative law judge said that the Florida Department of Corrections should toss out proposals by three companies to provide phone services to prison inmates.
The department gave notice this year it planned to award a contract to Global Tel Link, a move that drew protests from competitors CenturyLink Public Communications, Inc., and Securus Technologies, Inc.
The case focused, at least in part, on commissions that the department could receive and how those potential payments were factored into proposals submitted by the companies. In a 53-page decision, Judge John D.C. Newton concluded that Global Tel Link and Securus did not properly include commissions in their pricing proposals.
“Commissions are also critical factors both to the price paid by inmates and their designees and the department, should it collect the revenue,” Newton wrote. “They are also an important variable considered by vendors when they construct their proposals. Basing a decision on prices that do not include commissions when the RFP (the department’s request for proposals) required including them, is contrary to competition, clearly erroneous, arbitrary, and capricious.”
Newton called for the rejection of all three proposals, a recommendation that will go back to the department.
by The News Service of Florida
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
8 Responses to “Judge Takes Aim At Florida Prison Phone Contract”
Securus charged my card for services and never allowed me to use the services to receive calls from my son. Securus would not refund me or answer to me. It’s time to give another company the job.
Not every company wants to pad their pockets from the inmate, but the state prison system should have done some due-diligence when choosing their provider to ensure that rates AND FEES are fair. The $50 deposit requirement is excessive and the state should have dictated that the deposit be more like $20. The fees to set up and fund the accounts probably were not outlined.
Unfortunately, the Florida Public Service Commission refuses to step up to the plate and cap the rates and fees, like the state of Alabama recently did. Until the PSC steps in and takes control, all the public can do is complain to the governor, the Department of Corrections, the local sheriffs, media, etc.
Securus has it’s ups and downs, but I have experienced the 3rd party call rejection many of times. It usually happens when there is back ground noise, or if on your cell phone and all notification/media sounds are NOT turned OFF. I’ve also never had a problem when putting more than $50 on my account. The calls are NOT expensive, then again, it depends on where the inmate is calling from. Two different regions and my calls only cost $2.06 per 15 minutes.
The not being able to hear your loved one on the other line has nothing to do with Securus, but the institutions pay phones. Nonetheless, as long as I can receive calls it doesn’t matter to me who gets the contact.
I get calls through securus; my son can only whisper; cancer with a year diagnosis deduct 8 mo.
I can bearly hear him; but he needs to hear our voices;
every time he calls I get the third party not allowed bs; and the call gets cut off;
what to do?
What a joke. In the last six months over 10 phones I have received have been terminated early supposedly because I was trying to make a third party call. I have NEVER even attempted a three way call. When you call to complain the jails and the companies DO NOTHING. They can clearly see that the call was cut short. Also we were limited to the amount of money I could put on my phone. I am not in jail and I am being extorted every week. I tried to put 30 calls on at a time. So I only have to add money once a month. I was told you could only add $50 at a time. You want to know why. They wouldn’t get enough fees. It is a financial burden to families already to have a loved one in jail. Especially when six months later the judge throws out the case. Who’s going to reimburse me?
Wow! A prison could easily get this problem solved with very few issues. A prison official could have several cell phones with blocked numbers and they could allow each inmate 5 minutes per day to yack on the phone. Oh… but not nearly enough people would get paid.
EVERYBODY WANTS TO PAD THEIR POCKETS FROM THE PHONE SYSTEM IN THE PRISONS AND IT NEEDS TO BE OVERHAULED. IT IS JUST WRONG HOW THIS SYSTEM CHARGES SO MUCH FOR AN INMATE TO MAKE A CALL AND THE PRISON SYSTEM WANTS THEIR FAIR SHARE. IT IS BAD ENOUGH WHEN A FAMILY MEMBER OR SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT IS IN PRISON BUT WHEN THEY HAVE TO PAY THESE OVER THE TOP PRICES FOR THE USE OF THE PHONE IS UNBEARABLE BY SOME. MOST OF THE INMATES LOCKED UP ARE GUILTY AND DESERVE TO BE THERE TO SO-CALLED PAY FOR THEIR CRIME BUT ADDING THE EXTRA BURDEN TO THEIR FAMILIES OR FRIENDS TO PAY THESE OUTRAGEOUS AMOUNTS FOR PHONE CALLS IS CRIMINAL TO ME–LIKE PRICE GOUGING OR PRICE FIXING AND THESE NEED TO BE IN PRISON FOR DOING IT. I’VE BEEN THERE AND KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO BE AWAY FROM MY FAMILY THEN MAKE IT MUCH HARDER TO COMMUNICATE IS JUST WRONG.
THE PHONE SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REVAMPED TO MAKE IT COST LESS AND THE PRISON SYSTEM NEEDS TO KEEP THEIR DIRTY LITTLE PAWS OUT OF IT. THE JAIL PHONE SYSTEMS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AS WELL.
Allowing inmates to have continued family relations is essential to maintain a safe and secure prison environment. To hinder family contact, via phones, visiting or by correspondence is counter productive and anti-security. Having affordable telephone service that’s available to prisoners also reduces the stress of bill paying by the families. Cheap phones, unlimited correspondence, a good visitation program, access to newspapers and magazines is a win-win situation for all of Florida.