Inmate telephone system

An inmate telephone system, also known as an Inmate Calling Service (ICS) or Inmate telephone service, is a telephone service intended for use by inmates in correctional facilities in the United States. The service is intended to support inmate rehabilitation by allowing consistent communication with their family and legal counsel while incarcerated.

In the United States, prison telecom is a $1.2 billion industry, mostly controlled by two private equity-backed companies: Global Tel Link (GTL) and Securus Technologies. While there have been attempts by the United States' telecom regulator, the FCC, to regulate the costs of inmate telephone services, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that its policy violated the Telecommunications Act, which forbids the FCC from regulating intrastate communications.

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