New inmate phone system sought for jail

8/28/2007

Lucas County jail officials are seeking a new inmate telephone system that would make it easier to catch the prisoners potentially engaging in criminal activity while they're locked up.

Today the jail will ask the Lucas County commissioners for permission to enter into a four-year, two-month contract with Global Tel*Link for a phone system that will enable attorneys and law enforcement agents to monitor and listen to the phone calls prisoners make.

If commissioners approve, Global Tel*Link will install a total of 86 new phone systems at the jail and at the Correctional Training Facility at no cost to the county, jail administrator Jim O'Neal said.

Mr. O'Neal said contracting with Global Tel*Link will make the county about $100,000 more a year off of prisoners' calls than would be generated through the jail's current phone service provider, EMBARQ.