Controlled communication between residents of controlled-environment facilities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10009456-B1
Application number	US-201615383927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 19, 2016
Priority date	Jul 2, 2014
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments receive an indication of initiation of communication from a controlled-environment facility resident, using a communications device, with another controlled-environment facility resident. A determination is made whether the residents are allowed to communicate and the communication is established between the communications device and another communications device in use by the other resident. The residents may be residents of different or the same controlled-environment facility(ies). The communication may be monitored and/or a database of residents that communicate with one another may be compiled. The communication between the controlled-environment facility residents may proceed, even despite a determination or predetermination that the residents are not allowed to communicate with one another, so the communication may be monitored. At least one of the residents may be charged for the communication, such as by charging a community communications account maintained to the benefit of at least one of the residents.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by at least one controlled-environment facility communications control system, an indication of initiation of communication from a first controlled-environment facility resident, using a first communications device, with a second controlled-environment facility resident;
establishing a communication link between the first communications device and a second communications device for use by the second controlled-environment facility resident, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, under control of at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system;
receiving, by at least one controlled-environment facility communications control system, an indication of initiation of communication from the first or second controlled-environment facility resident, using the first or second communications device, with a third controlled-environment facility resident; and
extending the communication link between the first and second communications devices to a third communications device for use by the third controlled-environment facility resident, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, under control of at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system whether the first resident is allowed to communicate with the second resident and whether the second resident is allowed to communicate with the first resident; and
establishing the communication link between the first communications device and the second communications device based upon determining that the first resident is allowed to communicate with the second resident and the second resident is allowed to communicate with the first resident.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, that the first resident is not allowed to communicate with the second resident and/or that the second resident is not allowed to communicate with the first resident; and
proceeding, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, with establishing the communication between the first communications device and the second communications device, despite determining that the first resident is not allowed to communicate with the second resident and/or that the second resident is not allowed to communicate with the first resident.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising monitoring the communication, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising alerting an investigator, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, that the first and second residents are communicating.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising compiling, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, a database correlating residents that at least attempt a communication with one another.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second resident is a target resident, and the method further comprises alerting an investigator, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, that the first resident is communicating with the target resident.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the residents are residents of different controlled-environment facilities.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the residents are residents of the same controlled-environment facility.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system whether the first resident is allowed to communicate with the third resident, whether the second resident is allowed to communicate with the third resident, whether the third resident is allowed to communicate with the first resident and whether the third resident is allowed to communicate with the second resident.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising extending the communication link based upon determining that the first resident is allowed to communicate with the third resident, the second resident is allowed to communicate with the third resident, the third resident is allowed to communicate with the first resident and the third resident is allowed to communicate with the second resident.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, that the first resident is not allowed to communicate with the third resident, the second resident is not allowed to communicate with the third resident, the third resident is not allowed to communicate with the first resident, and/or the third resident is not allowed to communicate with the second resident;
proceeding, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, with extending the communication link between the first and second communications devices to the third communications device, despite determining that the first resident is not allowed to communicate with the third resident, the second resident is not allowed to communicate with the third resident, the third resident is not allowed to communicate with the first resident, and/or the third resident is not allowed to communicate with the second resident; and
monitoring the communication, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system and/or alerting an investigator, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, that the first, second and/or third residents are communicating.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising compiling, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, a database correlating residents that at least attempt a communication with one another.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second and/or or third resident is a target resident, and the method further comprises alerting an investigator, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, that the first resident is communicating with the target resident.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second resident is a target resident, and the method further comprises alerting an investigator, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, that the third resident is communicating with the target resident.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third resident is a target resident, and the method further comprises alerting an investigator, by at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system, that the first and/or second resident is communicating with the target resident.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the residents are residents of the same controlled-environment facility.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the residents are residents of different controlled-environment facilities.

19. A system for controlled communication between residents of one or more controlled-environment facilities, the system comprising:
at least one controlled-environment facility management system; and
at least one controlled-environment facility communication control system configured to:
receive an indication of initiation of communication from the first controlled-environment facility resid

Assignees

• Securus Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Edwards Adam C

Classifications

• H04M2203/5018

  Initiating a conference during a two-party conversation, i.e. three-party service or three-way call · CPC title

• H04M15/09

  Third party charged communications · CPC title

• H04M3/2272

  Subscriber line supervision circuits, e.g. call detection circuits · CPC title

• H04M3/2281 Primary

  Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls · CPC title

• H04M3/42221

  Conversation recording systems (at the subscriber's set H04M1/656) · CPC title