In their efforts to keeping families connected and to support re-entry they have offered 41.5 million free phone calls totaling over 341.5 million free minutes
Securus Technologies today released its monthly update detailing the total number of free calls, video connections, JPay Stamps, news subscriptions and game downloads it has provided since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The offerings are part of an emergency program Securus deployed with its correctional partners on March 13, 2020, when the pandemic was declared a national emergency. It was developed to support re-entry efforts and help incarcerated individuals stay connected with loved ones during this challenging time.
To date, those free offerings total:
- 41.5 million free call credits for incarcerated individuals and their families, resulting in 341.5 million free minutes of phone connections;
- 6.5 million free video connections to friends and families of incarcerated individuals;
- 25 million free JPay Stamps for electronic messaging;
- 297,440 free monthly subscriptions to Newsstand;
- 784,377 free game downloads;
- Total accommodations for 419 agencies and 758 sites across the United States.
In addition to this ongoing assistance, Securus is offering compassion credits designed to accommodate incarcerated individuals who fall ill with COVID-19. Those credits, which are uploaded onto prepaid cards and distributed by correctional facilities, allow additional free access to Securus phone calls and video connections throughout an individual’s medical care. The company is also making free calls available to public defenders at many locations.
For those facilities enabled with Securus tablet technology, the company has introduced select free movie and game titles during the COVID-19 pandemic, which have been downloaded almost 2 million times. This expanded assistance is in addition to the no-cost resources, including educational offerings, free eBooks, podcasts and other self-help tools that are always available free of charge.
“Even as restrictions start lifting and in-person visitations become available across the country, technology will continue to play a vital role when it comes to connecting incarcerated individuals to their friends and families,” said Dave Abel, President and CEO of Aventiv Technologies, parent company of Securus Technologies. “At Aventiv, we remain committed to offering innovative technologies to not only connect incarcerated individuals with their loved ones, but to also provide them with the necessary resources to prepare them for re-entry. I am proud of the work we have done thus far and look forward to identifying more opportunities for our products to positively impact and support incarcerated individuals.”
The program is an element of an ongoing transformation effort by Securus Technologies to improve access to its services and provide greater support for those impacted by incarceration. The company continues to work with its partners to garner feedback about the situation on the ground. All support from Securus will be in accordance with the latest public health guidelines to ensure that the support is tailored and responsive to the unique needs of the incarcerated community.