Update: Securus Technologies Provides 176 Million Free Minutes Of Phone Connection During Pandemic

Emergency offerings to help keep families connected include more than 23 million free phone calls totaling 176 million in free minutes; 5 million free video connections; 11 million free JPay stamps

News provided by

Securus Technologies

Aug 13, 2020, 14:13 ET

DALLAS, Aug. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Securus Technologies today provided an update on the company's COVID-19 assistance efforts, providing free calls, video connections, and JPay Stamps in an emergency program deployed in conjunction with partners across the country. The program was implemented on March 13 – the day the pandemic was declared a national emergency in the United States – and is designed to help incarcerated individuals stay connected with their loved ones.

To date, those free offerings total:

23 million free call credits for incarcerated individuals and their families, resulting in 176 million free minutes of phone connections;
5 million free video connections to friends and families of incarcerated individuals;
11 million free JPay Stamps for electronic messaging;
Total accommodations for 398 agencies and 739 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 collection of no-cost resources, including educational offerings, free eBooks, podcasts and other self-help tools that are always available free of charge.

"The pandemic has changed the way we communicate and stay connected with the ones who mean the most," said Dave Abel, president and CEO of Aventiv Technologies, parent company of Securus Technologies. "Aventiv is proud to facilitate free and reduced cost communications during this challenging time and will continue to invest in the ones we serve."

The program is a continuation of an ongoing expansive transformation by Securus Technologies to improve access to its services and 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.

ABOUT SECURUS TECHNOLOGIES
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Aventiv Technologies serves more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement and corrections agencies and over 1,100,000 incarcerated individuals across North America, Aventiv is committed to serve and connect by providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, incarcerated self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. For more information, please visit www.Aventiv.com. Aventiv is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity. Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with a portfolio of approximately 40 operating companies that serve customers around the world.

SOURCE Securus Technologies