System and method for visitation management in a controlled environment

• US 10,296,994 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2016
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Original Assignee: Global Tel-Link Corporation
• Inventors: Hodge, Stephen Lee, Bambocci, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Alan S
• Application Number:
  US15/041,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20170236228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence

Abstract

A system is described herein that facilitates the easy scheduling and conducting of prison visitations. The system provides a remotely-accessible means for visitors to authenticate themselves, check the availability of those they wish to visit, and schedule a visit with that individual. As part of this process, the system tracks the availability of prison inmates as well as the devices and visit sites that are available to those inmates. In this manner, the system can quickly identify the availability of different inmates in order to provide on-demand scheduling capabilities to potential visitors. The system is connected to multiple facilities as well as public networks, and therefore can be remotely accessed. Additionally, the system also functions to monitor visits while they are in progress, as well as to store visit recordings for future review. Because the system is networked, remote monitors can access the review system in order to monitor visits or review recordings. The system also employs rigorous authentication and other security measures to ensure the safety and security of the visitors, the inmates, the staff, as well as others within the prison facility.

Claims

1. A visitation management system for allowing a visit participant to visit with an inmate of a controlled environment facility, the visitation management system comprising:

an authentication subsystem that includes;

a database that stores identifying information of the visit participant;

an identification number system configured to assign a globally-unique identification number to the visit participant;

a biometric input device configured to capture biometric information of a purported visit participant; and

an authenticator configured to compare the captured biometric information of the purported visit participant to biometric information of the visit participant stored in the database, and to authenticate or decline the purported visit participant based on the comparison;

a visit scheduling subsystem that includes;

a scheduling database that stores schedule information of visitation sites, as well as of the inmate, each item of schedule information including a link that provides additional information when activated;

an interface unit that is configured to provide the schedule information to the visit participant, and receive a visit slot selection from the visit participant, wherein the visit scheduling subsystem updates the schedule information based on the visit slot selection; and

a visit monitoring subsystem that includes;

a server configured to receive audio and/or video data of the visit in real-time;

a monitoring station configured to monitor the received audio and/or video data, to detect a violation of a predetermined rule, and to analyze the received audio and/or video data for one or more of a hook-flash event or a DTMF input for purposes of detecting an unauthorized three-way call attempt.

2. The visitation management system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring station includes an algorithm for analyzing the received audio and/or video data to automatically detect the violation.

3. The visitation management system of claim 2, wherein upon the detection of the violation, the monitoring station is configured to notify a selected reviewer of the violation.

4. The visitation management system of claim 1, wherein the interface unit is configured to provide the schedule information in graphical form.

5. The visitation management system of claim 1, further comprising a schedule generator configured to correlate a schedule of a visitation site with a schedule of the inmate in order to generate the schedule information that is provided to the visit participant.

6. The visitation management system of claim 1, further comprising a log generator configured to, after termination of the visit, store a log that includes duration information, time information, and participant information of the visit.

7. The visitation management system of claim 6, further comprising a record database that stores a recording of the visit in association with the log.

8. A visitation management system for allowing a visit participant to visit with an inmate of a controlled environment facility, the visitation management system comprising:

a registration subsystem configured to register a visit participant;

an authentication subsystem configured to receive identifying information from a purported visit participant, and to authenticate the purported visit participant as the visit participant based on the received identifying information;

a visit scheduling subsystem configured to access a scheduling database that includes a plurality of data records and stores schedule information of visitation sites, as well as of the inmate, to provide available visit slots to the visit participant, and to receive a visit slot selection from the visit participant, and

a visit monitoring subsystem configured to analyze data of the visit for one or more of a hook-flash event or a DTMF input for purposes of detecting an unauthorized three-way call attempt,

wherein each data record includes a link that provides additional information when activated.

9. The visitation management system of claim 8, wherein the visit monitoring subsystem is further configured to monitor the visit for violation of a predetermined rule.

10. The visitation management system of claim 8, wherein the registering includes capturing biometric identification information of the visit participant and issuing the visit participant a globally-unique identification number.

11. The visitation management system of claim 10, wherein the registering further includes storing the biometric identification information in association with the globally-unique identification number.

12. The visitation management system of claim 8, wherein the authentication includes receiving a personal identification number of the purported visit participant and comparing the received personal identification number to the stored globally-unique identification number.

13. The visitation management system of claim 12, wherein the authentication further includes identifying the stored biometric identification information based on the comparison, receiving biometric information of the purported visit participant, and correlating the received biometric information to the stored biometric identification information.

14. The visitation management system of claim 13, wherein the authentication is configured to succeed or fail based on the correlating.

15. The visitation management system of claim 8, wherein the visit scheduling subsystem is configured to retrieve inmate availability information and visit site availability information from one or more databases, and to compare the inmate availability information and the visit site availability information in order to identify the available visit slots.

16. A method for scheduling a visit between a visit participant and an inmate of a controlled environment facility, the method comprising:

authenticating a purported visit participant as the visit participant;

retrieving availability information of the inmate;

accessing a scheduling database that includes a plurality of data records and that stores schedule information of visitation sites, as well as of the inmate;

generating a schedule of availability that includes a plurality of available visit slots based on the plurality of data records;

providing the schedule of availability to the visit participant;

receive an available visit slot selection from the visit participant;

update a visit schedule based on the selection, the visit schedule including a plurality of schedule entries, each of the plurality of schedule entries including a link that provides additional information when activated;

receive data of a visit; and

analyze data of the visit for one or more of a hook-flash event or a DTMF input for purposes of detecting an unauthorized three-way call attempt.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the authenticating includes comparing an identification number of the purported visit participant to a stored identification number of the visit participant, and comparing biometric information of the purported visit participant to stored biometric information of the visit participant.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising retrieving availability information of at least one of a visit site or a visit equipment, wherein the generating of the schedule includes correlating the inmate availability information to the availability information of the at least one of the visit site or the visit equipment.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the schedule of availability is generated graphically as part of a graphical user interface, and wherein the available visit slot selection is received via the graphical user interface.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the updating of the visit schedule includes updating the availability information of the inmate and updating the availability information of the at least one of the visit site or the visit equipment.