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Inmate Call Out Program
February 2013
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) entered into a contract with Global*Tel Link
Corporation (GTL) on February 26, 2010 to provide all facets of telephone services for the inmate population. The
initial contract is effective through February 26, 2016 with two, 2-year renewals available through February 26,
2020.
The contract required GTL to install new phone systems in each prison, which enables the contractor to provide
more efficient, cost-effective service. In addition, the ICOP system was required to include call control capabilities
and the ability to record and/or monitor calls, as allowed by law. The digital recording and monitoring equipment
enables the ODRC to perform live monitoring of inmate calls in progress and/or retrieve archived information from
remote locations via telephone. The contractor is also responsible for maintaining a call center to provide customer
service to manage customer complaints and provide other account services.
The local, intrastate and interstate tariff rates that family and friends pay for inmate initiated collect phone calls and
pre-paid calls under this contract is comprised of an initial fixed surcharge and a variable rate per minute. Through
the initial contract bid process and negotiations, the ODRC has attempted to reduce costs to inmate family
members, while maintaining a consistent revenue stream for the State of Ohio to sustain inmate programs. ODRC
required that the intrastate and interstate tariff rates be fixed for the term of the contract and shall never be
increased, but may be lowered with ODRC Project Representative’s written consent.
The contract requires that ODRC receives a guaranteed annual flat/fixed fee of $15,000,000 with a negotiated
annual adjustment for inflation not greater than the CPI for the previous 12 months. These monies are deposited
into the prisoner program fund, a non-General Revenue Fund (GRF) account that pays for substance abuse
treatment, and education programming, or is returned to inmates as inmate pay. Reducing or eliminating these
commissions would place a greater burden on the Ohio GRF to pay for this programming.
Additional information on components of the ICOP contract are provided below:
Revenue from the ICOP contract currently funds the following positions and services:
o
o
o
o
37 Recovery Services employees
86 Education employees
Advanced Job Training through Ohio colleges and universities of approximately $2 million
Inmate state pay and release pay of approximately $2 million
In FY 2012, the ODRC received $15,000,000 in a flat fee or $1,250,000 per month.
As an option, video visitation services were piloted at four institutions and two APA offices. Services were
not utilized as anticipated so the program was discontinued at low usage sites initially and then completely
discontinued in December 2012. The highest volume month had 25 visits total.
o Institutions: BECI, NCI, OSP, and SOCF
o APA Offices: Cleveland and Cincinnati
o The initial cost was $25.00 per 30 minutes and was reduced to $12.50 for 30 minutes or 5 sessions
for $50.00.
Remote Video Visitation via SKYPE was implemented in December 2011.
Kiosk for Phone Account Deposits
o Kisoks are located in the front entry building of each institution.
o Funds can be deposited to an inmate phone account or trust account.
o $3.00 transaction fee per deposit.
o Transactions require the use of a Government Issued ID with a magnetic strip for identification
purposes.
Web Option for Phone Account Deposits
o Funds can be deposited to an inmate phone account or trust account via the OffenderConnect
website using credit or debit cards.
o There is a fee schedule based on the deposit amount.
Telephone Option for Phone Account Deposits
o Funds can be deposited to an inmate phone account or trust account via a toll-free phone number
using credit or debit cards.
o There is a fee schedule based on the deposit amount.
Collect Call Rates
o Local - $1.14 flat rate
o IntraLata - $1.04 surcharge plus per minute charges based on miles and time of day with initial
minute and additional minute charge structure
o InterLata - $1.04 surcharge plus $0.322 per minute charge
o InterState - $3.90 surcharge plus $0.871 per minute charge
Prepaid Call Rates
o Local - $0.911 flat rate
o IntraLata - $0.832 surcharge plus per minute charges based on miles and time of day with initial
minute and additional minute charge structure
o InterLata - $0.832 surcharge plus $0.257 per minute charge
o InterState - $3.120 surcharge plus $0.697 per minute charge
The average cost per minute including all call types is currently $0.13 per minute. At the beginning of the
contract the rate was $0.25 per minute.
