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Mission Creep: Prison Telecoms Scramble to Extend Their Reach
by Alan Prendergast
In a news cycle dominated by reports of war, plague and insurrection, a single press announcement from Global Tel*Link (GTL) managed to convey some of the oddest news of all. Flash: The creators of the nation’s most beloved children’s television show are joining forces with GTL, the …
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More from this issue:
- Suit Over California Detainee’s Suicide Survives Corporate Shell Game by Wellpath and HIG Capital, by Jacob Barrett
- Seventh Circuit Reiterates That Threats and Withholding Grievance Forms Render Administrative Remedies Unavailable to Prisoner, by Mark Wilson
- Federal Courts Order Seizure of Canteen Funds for Restitution Owed by High-Profile Prisoners, by David M. Reutter
- Federal Court Upholds and Monitors Requirement for Tennessee Jail to Provide COVID-19 Vaccination for Detainees, by David M. Reutter
- Washington DOC Ends Use of Solitary Confinement (Sort of), by Jacob Barrett
- “The Worst Kind of Work” Thai Prisoners Forced into Labor, Often Without Pay, by Edward Lyon
- Supreme Court Passes on Case of New York Sex Offender Imprisoned Past Release Date for Lack of Compliant Housing, by Chuck Sharman, Jory Smith
- The Catalog of Carceral Surveillance: Monitoring Online Purchases of Inmates’ Family and Friends, by Cooper Quintin, Beryl Lipton
- Eighth Circuit Reinstates Arkansas Prisoner’s Claim Over DOC’s Failure to Maintain Hearing Aids, by Matthew Clarke
- Class of Juvenile Prisoners Certified in Suit Against Florida DOC, by Kevin Bliss
- Sixth Circuit Reinstates Suit of Kentucky Jail Detainee Impregnated by Guard, Finds Genuine Factual Dispute Over Consent, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Arizona Corrections Chief Indicted After Drunken Armed Standoff with Tempe Police, by Jo Ellen Nott
- The Impact of Criminalizing Abortion on Prisoners and Mass Incarceration, by Paul Wright
- California Court Rules Bail Bond Companies Must Give Cosigners Financial Impact Notice, by David M. Reutter
- Virginia DOC’s Interference Hamstrings Local and Regional Jail Board, by Kevin Bliss
- Oregon Nurse Federally Charged With Raping Prisoners After State Prosecutors Declined to Prosecute, by Mark Wilson
- $1 Million Paid After Indiana Jailers Fatally Beat and Taser Detainee, But Prosecutor Finds No Crime, by Keith Sanders, Benjamin Tschirhart
- “One of the Most Egregious Violations of Church-State Separation” Prisons Welcome Fundamentalist Christian Education Programs Despite Conflicts with the Constitution, by Jacob Barrett
- Illinois Counties Fail in Challenge to State Statutory Ban on ICE Detention Contracts, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Judge Allows Wiretapping Case to Proceed Against CoreCivic for Recording Attorney-Client Conversations at Nevada Prison, by Kevin W. Bliss
- BOP Guard Terminated for Making Prisoner Do His Work, Union Blames Staff Shortages, by Casey Bastian
- Eighth Circuit Pulls BOP’s Hand Out of Prisoner’s Pocket Accumulated Prison Wages Not “Substantial Resources” Under Mandatory Victim Restitution Act, by Casey Bastian
- Seventh Circuit Clarifies Calculation of Presumptive Parole Date for Federal Prisoner Sentenced Under Pre-1987 Law, by Anthony W. Accurso
- Massachusetts Supreme Court Continues Trend of Easing Prison COVID-19 Protocols, by Edward Lyon
- COVID-19’s Impact on Prisoners Far Worse Than It Needed to Be, by Kevin Bliss, Edward Lyon
- After Lengthy HRDC Litigation, GEO Group Gives Up Documents Revealing $10 Million Settlement for Death of Texas Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- $150,000 Class-Action Settlement Reached Over Massive Scabies Outbreak at CoreCivic Tennessee Jail, by Jacob Barrett
- Supreme Court of Kansas: Lower Court Did Not Have Authority to Revoke Probation Without a Warrant, by David M. Reutter
- Oregon Judge Invalidates Governor’s Clemency Grant to Dozens Sentenced to Life as Juveniles, Halting Parole Hearings, by Mark Wilson
- News in Brief
- Nebraska Prison Staffing Crisis Sees Supervisors Take Demotions to Get Hourly Overtime Pay, by Kevin Bliss
- Boiling Behind Bars In Sweltering Texas, Prisons Without Air Conditioning Are About to Get a Lot Hotter, by Alleen Brown
- $1 Million Settlement Reached in Suicide of Mentally Ill Detainee at San Diego Jail, by Keith Sanders
- Lawsuits Filed Over Withheld Pain Medications That Left Ailing New York Prisoners in Agony, by Edward Lyon
- $3.8 Million Paid for Michigan Detainee’s Death from Alcohol Withdrawal After Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of Summary Judgment to Jailers for Deliberate Indifference, by Mark Wilson
- “Join Me in Holding Your Nose” Federal Judge Reluctantly Okays $750,000 Settlement in Ohio Pre-Trial Detainee’s Excessive Force Suit, by Keith Sanders
- Class Certified in Discrimination Suit by Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Georgia Prisoners, by Mark Wilson
- Guards Saluting Fascism on the Job—Literally, by Edward Lyon
- Court Bars Electroshock Therapy for Incompetent California Prisoner Without Considering Whether He Would Consent If Competent, by Jacob Barrett
- Russia Drops Charges Against Prison Torture Whistleblower, by Edward Lyon
- $805,000 Paid by Washington to Former Detainees at Juvenile Camp, But Sex Abuse Charges Dropped against Counselor
- California Supreme Court Rules Proposition 57 Early Parole Review May be Denied for Any Violent Felony Conviction, Even If Not “Primary Offense”, by Douglas Ankney
- Eleventh Circuit Reinstates Florida Detainee’s Excessive-Force Claim Against Cop Who Sucker-Punched Him in Cell, by Kevin Bliss
- Mission Creep: Prison Telecoms Scramble to Extend Their Reach, by Alan Prendergast
- U.S. Marshals Service Inspectors Find D.C. Central Jail Not Meeting Federal Detention Standards, by Casey Bastian
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- $405,000 Paid to Prisoner Disabled and Left Untreated at LaSalle-Managed Louisiana Jails, by Anthony W. Accurso
- Maryland Strips Governor’s Power to Overturn Parole Decisions, by Ashleigh Dye
More from Alan Prendergast:
- Mission Creep: Prison Telecoms Scramble to Extend Their Reach, July 13, 2022
- At the Federal Supermax, When Does Isolation Become Torture?, Sept. 2, 2018
- Hep C: The Deadliest Killer in Colorado’s Prisons is a Curable Virus, June 30, 2017
- Welcome to America, Aug. 23, 2016
- Supermax Censorship Claimed by Prison Legal News, Dec. 2, 2015
- Prisoner’s Coma-Inducing Latex Allergy Triggers Lawsuit, Burning Questions, Nov. 15, 2012
- BOP Supermax Lawsuit Claims Horrific Abuse of Mentally Ill at ADX, Nov. 15, 2012
- How Victim Rights Shaped Spending, Laws and the Future of Punishment in Colorado, March 15, 2012
- Colorado CCA Prison Uprising: New Details of Unheeded Warnings Emerge in Epic Lawsuit, Feb. 15, 2012
- Mother Questions Her Son’s “Natural” Death in Colorado CCA Prison, Feb. 15, 2012
More from these topics:
- FCC Backtracks on 2024 Order to Cut Prison Phone and Video Rates by Half, Aug. 1, 2025. Telephone Rates, Video Visitation, Private Phone Contractors, Securus.
- HRDC Collaborates on Prison Telecom Cost Report to Washington Lawmakers, Aug. 1, 2025. Electronic Tablets, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates.
- JPay Loses Bid to Revoke Class Certification in Washington Prisoners’ Challenge to Crummy Products and Service, July 15, 2025. Electronic Tablets, Computers, Telephone Rates, Securus.
- Free Calls in Massachusetts Lead to Defunded Prison Programs, July 15, 2025. Telephone Access, Telephone Rates, Private Phone Contractors.
- GTL/ViaPath Ordered to Pay $3 Million for Violations of Consumer Protection Laws, June 1, 2025. Telephone Rates, Bid-Rigging, Price-Fixing, etc., Global Tel*Link Corp.
- GTL, Co-Defendant Agree to $21.3 Million Settlement with HRDC in Price-Fixing Lawsuit, April 1, 2025. Settlements, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Telephone Rates, HRDC Litigation, Global Tel*Link Corp.
- Pay-for-Play Tablets: The Costly New Prison Paradigm, March 1, 2025. Food/Commissary (Private Prisons), Electronic Tablets, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Telephone Rates, Tapes/Music, Securus, Global Tel*Link Corp.
- First Circuit Rejects Request by Securus and Pay Tel to Stay FCC Prison Phone Rate Caps, Jan. 15, 2025. Telephone Rates, Private Phone Contractors, Securus.
- Securus/JPay Video Calling Service Potentially Threatened by New Rate Caps, Jan. 15, 2025. JPay, Inc., Telephone Rates, Video Visitation, Securus.
- Eighth Circuit Asked to Block New FCC Rules Capping Prison Phone Rates and Eliminating Ancillary Fees and Kickbacks, Nov. 15, 2024. Telephone Rates, Federal Funds.

