meshDETECT® is pleased to announce that it has been granted a seventh wireless blockchain patent for managing inmate financial transactions in prison using blockchain technology. Our thirteenth patent granted, U.S. Patent 12,212,710 is entitled “Systems and Methods For Blockchain Wireless Services In a Controlled Environment.” The claims in our latest blockchain patent are directed toward a system for regulating transactions in a controlled environment, a method for controlling inmate blockchain transactions comprised of rules enforced […]
inmate
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This latest patent protects the intellectual property necessary to enhance inmate wallet functionality, improve transaction security, and expand services rental and payment functionality via smart contracts, dAPPs and custom tokens.
On March 7, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) stayed two provisions of the FCC’s ICS rules: 47 CFR § 64.6010 (setting caps on ICS calling rates that vary based on the size and type of facility being served) and 47 CFR § 64.6020(b)(2) (setting caps for single-call services). The D.C. Circuit’s March 7 Order denied motions for stay of the FCC’s ICS rules “in all […]
The first round of comments are in for the FCC Proposed Rule Making 12-375 (The Wright Petition), and advocates from both sides of the issue have submitted letters and comments on the price of interstate calls from prison. Some cash-strapped states and facilities collect commissions from prison phone contracts. Texas, for instance, uses some of the money collected for a crime victims’ fund. Nationwide, states collect more than $150 million a year from prison phone […]
Add yet another voice to the growing chorus of high level prison administrators who advocate for increased prisoner access to telecommunications to address a host of problems in prison. Among the reasons Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons in the UK, who heads up the prison system there, gave for this recommendation: The illegal use of mobile phones was widespread in most prisons and installing phones in cells would enable more calls to be monitored. […]
Here is an interesting article endorsing the deployment and use of phones in prison cells to increase prisoner family contact and reduce recidivism. The issue of public perception of such a strategy is acknowledged, but enhancing access to telecommunication services will reduce the value of contraband cell phones and improve officer safety in prisons and jails. The strategy can easily be accomplished with no upfront cost through the deployment of the meshDETECT secure prison cell […]
A new prison in Australia is proposing the installation of advanced technology in each of the cells. This will include in-cell telephones. The private prison company Serco states, “The introduction of in-cell telephones in its overseas prisons had resulted in significant improvements in prison security, including a drop in the number of prisoners trying to smuggle cellphones.” The meshDETECT secure prison cell phone solution allows existing prisons and jails to realize the same reduction in […]
As this article demonstrates, the use of current prison telephone systems requires prisoner movement. And prisoner movement always entails the potential risk of violence, both to guards and other prisoners. Prisoners must leave their cells to access the correctional facility wall phones. The prisoners must be accompanied to the phones by guards or, if the phones are in a prisoner common area, prisoners may congregate around the phones, increasing the risk of bullying, violence and […]
There was a brief posting on the social media site MetaFilter recently regarding the impact of the high cost of prison telecommunications services entitled “Don’t Phone Home From America’s Prisons.” Among the effects of the high cost of prison phone calls is the marked increase in contraband cell phone smuggling across the country. The comments that followed the post primarily discussed individual experiences with prison phone systems. One comment in particular caught our eye: “Jail […]
An interesting article tackling the contentious issue of prison telephone systems vendors paying per minute commissions to jails and prisons. In Louisiana, as in other states, the rate can be as high as 55% of the per minute cost of the call. According to the article, phone commissions are an important source of revenue, state corrections officials say. The challenge is to balance the need to find sources of prison revenue to fund operations in […]