Gordon Graham
Category: Corrections

Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s Tip is for my friends who work in corrections, and it deals with periodically checking your inmate phone systems to gather intelligence.  

You can learn a lot from phone calls. Plans for contraband being introduced to your facility. Planned assaults on staff or other inmates.

Last year, an escape incident in the southeast received national media attention. In the aftermath, the investigation revealed what I describe as a “problem lying in wait.” It involved nearly 1,000 phone calls between the inmate in question and the staff member who assisted in his escape. All these calls were recorded on the inmate phone system. 

Chances are, your facility  uses a third-party inmate phone provider that includes a platform for monitoring and recording non-attorney inmate phone calls. The question is, are you regularly accessing the platform to learn who your inmates are talking to and what they are talking about? There is a potential wealth of intelligence here. 

With today’s technology, most phone platforms can identify and detect frequently called numbers and “flag” them in your system. In addition, the platforms can allow the agency to input, flag or even block known staff member phone numbers for access by inmates. This is an important preventive measure to assist in identifying compromised or potentially compromised staff. 

You can learn a lot from phone calls. Plans for contraband being introduced to your facility. Planned assaults on staff or other inmates. Potential disturbances and even criminal activity outside of your facility, such as witness tampering or threats.  

Take the time to monitor your inmate phone system and periodically legally listen in on recorded inmate phone calls. You might learn a lot – and prevent harm to inmates, your staff or your facility. 

And that’s Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Until next time, Gordon Graham signing off.