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Sheriffs Offered Caribbean Cruises and Florida Retreats As Part Of Jail Telecom Contracts
Loaded on Sept. 15, 2023
by Hayden Betts
published in Prison Legal News
September, 2023, page 12
Filed under:
Seizure of Prisoner Funds,
Telephones,
Telephone Rates,
Private Phone Contractors.
Location:
United States of America.
by Hayden Betts
Members of five sheriff’s offices across the country were offered cruises from “Tampa Bay to the Caribbean” as part of jail telecommunications contracts with the vendor Smart Communications, according to documents obtained by The Appeal.
Smart Communications is a for-profit company that sells communications services including phone, ...
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More from this issue:
- “Frozen in Solitude’’: Heat-Sensitive Texas Prisoners Get More Than Air Conditioning Locked Inside Former Segregation Cells, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Four Hawaii Prison Guards Sentenced for Beating Prisoner – But One Wins Back-Pay, by David Reutter
- Sheriffs Offered Caribbean Cruises and Florida Retreats As Part Of Jail Telecom Contracts, by Hayden Betts
- $1 Million Settlement Reached After Detainee’s Suicide in Washington Jail, by David Reutter
- The Lecturer at the Lockup: Maine Prisoner Is First to Teach College Courses from His Cell
- Arkansas Parole Board Denies Release to Sex Offender For Failure to Find Appropriate Housing, by David Reutter
- Unyielding Pursuit of Justice or Unfulfilled Promises: Doubts Surround California Habeas Attorney
- After $300,000 Settlement for Detainee’s Death, Texas County Looks to Replace Jail
- LGBTQ+ Detainees at Rikers Island Suffer Under Mayor Adams, by Kevin Bliss
- $8.25 Million Verdict Against Former Colorado Sheriff for Detainee’s Sexual Assault During Jail Transfer, by Matthew Clarke
- Life Sentence for Alabama Jail Escapee After Suicide of Guard Lover Who Helped Him, by Chuck Sharman
- Calls for California Sheriff’s Department Oversight After Jail Deaths, $30,000 Settlement for Botched Traffic Stop
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- Oregon Parole Hearing Exclusion Rule Invalidated, by David Reutter
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- Government Watchdog Adds BOP to List at “High Risk” of Mismanagement, by Kevin Bliss
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- Washington Supreme Court: Requiring Certificate of Merit for Medical Malpractice Suits Held Invalid
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- Congress Forces BOP to Upgrade Security Cameras, by Mark Wilson
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- San Diego County Pays $4.35 Million After Jail Guards Failed to Stop Detainee From Blinding Herself, by David Reutter
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- FBI Crime Report Lacking Data from Police Agencies Serving 25 Percent of U.S. Population
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- $120,000 Paid to Muslim Detainees for Discrimination by Maryland Jail, by David Reutter
- Oregon Will Hold Release Hearings for 73 Prisoners Sentenced to LWOP as Juveniles, by Mark Wilson
- Federal Watchdog Finds BOP Staffing, Maintenance in Crisis
- Senators Slam “Egregious” Prisoner Sexual Abuse by BOP Employees, by Mark Wilson
- Minnesota Supreme Court Denies Qualified Immunity for Delayed Transfer of Sex Offenders, by Mark Wilson
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- Oregon Governor Commutes All Death Sentences, by Mark Wilson
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More from Hayden Betts:
More from these topics:
- Review: “Reforming the Shadow Carceral State”, Aug. 1, 2025. Reviews, Criminal justice system reform, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Fines.
- $815,000 Settlement in Nevada Class-Action Suit Over Debit Release Cards, Aug. 1, 2025. Money/Property, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Trust Accounts.
- 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.
- Smart Communications Files for Bankruptcy Protection, June 1, 2025. Telephones, Mail, Legal Mail, Private Phone Contractors.
- $2.8 Million Settlement in National NUMI Debit Release Card Class Action, June 1, 2025. Release and Reentry, Money/Property, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Prisoner Property, Trust Accounts.
- Wellpath Prepares Plan to Exit Bankruptcy, May 1, 2025. Private Contractors, Seizure of Prisoner Funds.