Systems and methods for message delivery in a controlled environment facility

• US 7,804,941 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Original Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Inventors: Polozola, Michelle L., Keiser, Luke, Keahon, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US11/480,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/71, 379/85, 379/87, 379/88.04, 379/88.07, 379/88.08, 379/88.11, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.19, 379/88.25, 379/88.26, 379/88.22, 379/114.01, 379/114.2, 379/88.12
• US Class Current: 379/88.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for sending and receiving a message between a nonresident and a resident of a controlled environment facility that associates an identifier to the message, wherein the resident does not associate the identifier to resident created messages. The identifier my take the form of a barcode printed directly onto the message form or printed onto a detachable sticker that is affixed to the message form. Embodiments may allow the searching of a message for prohibited words, phrases, or ideas and notifying a relevant authority to the existence of such prohibited content. Embodiments may also allow a nonresident to select a delivery medium that is incompatible with the format of a message created by a resident by converting the resident created message to a message format compatible with the delivery medium.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a message between a nonresident and a resident of a controlled environment facility, said method comprising:

associating an identifier with a message, content of said message is created by said resident after said associating, said identifier comprising a machine readable code specific to the message, said machine readable code comprising a barcode or a numerical identifier on a message sheet used by the resident to create the content of the message; and

debiting a financial account for providing a service in association with said message, wherein said financial account is associated with said message using said identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

converting said message to a form suitable for electronic searching; and

searching said message for information of interest to investigators.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

alerting an investigator when said searching finds said information of interest, the information of interest comprising the occurrence of predefined words or phrases, the alerting occurring upon a first detection of any of a first set of words or phrases, and the alerting occurring after a predetermined number of occurrences of any of a second group of words and phrases.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifier comprises at least one of:

a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID), a machine readable code, and a Personal Identification Number (PIN).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said barcode is printed on a detachable sticker for placement onto said message sheet.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said barcode is printed onto said message sheet.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating said content using a first form of communication; and

delivering said message to said nonresident using a second form of communication.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising controlling the delivery of said message by an owner of said financial account.

9. A method for transmitting a message between a nonresident and a resident of a controlled environment facility, said method comprising:

receiving a message, wherein said message is in a first form of communication that is not receivable by a resident;

delivering said message to said resident in a second form of communication that is receivable by said resident;

receiving a reply prepared by the resident in response to the message, the reply comprising an identifier, the identifier uniquely linking the reply to the message; and

associating the identifier to additional information regarding drafts of the reply.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

converting said message to a form suitable for electronic searching; and

searching said message for information of interest to investigators.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

alerting an investigator when said searching finds said information of interest, the information of interest comprising the occurrence of predefined words or phrases, the alerting occurring upon a first detection of any of a first set of words or phrases, and the alerting occurring after a predetermined number of occurrences of any of a second group of words and phrases.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said identifier comprises at least one of:

a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID), a machine readable code, and a Personal Identification Number (PIN).

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said identifier comprises a machine readable code, and wherein said machine readable code comprises a barcode on a message sheet used by said resident to create said contents of said reply.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said barcode is printed on a detachable sticker for placement onto said message sheet.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said barcode is printed onto said message sheet.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

creating content of the message using a first form of communication; and

delivering said message to said nonresident using a second form of communication.

17. A method for transmitting a message between a nonresident and a resident of a controlled environment facility, said method comprising:

receiving a message in a first form of communication that is not receivable by a resident;

delivering said message to said resident in a second form of communication that is receivable by said resident;

delivering an identifier with said message in said second form, the identifier uniquely associated with the message and related messages; and

associating said identifier with a response to said message.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

converting said message to a form suitable for electronic searching; and

searching said message for information of interest to investigators.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

alerting an investigator when said searching finds said information of interest.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said identifier comprises at least one of:

a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID), a machine readable code, and a Personal Identification Number (PIN).

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said identifier comprises a machine readable code, and wherein said machine readable code comprises a barcode on a message sheet delivered to said resident.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said barcode is printed on a detachable sticker for placement onto said message sheet.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said barcode is printed onto said message sheet.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

creating content of said message using a first form of communication; and

delivering said message to said nonresident using a second form of communication.

25. A system for transmitting a message between a nonresident and a resident of a facility, said system comprising:

a message input module for receiving a message;

wherein said input module associates an identifier with a nonresident created message; and

wherein said input module associates the identifier with a resident created message, the identifier uniquely linking messages and related responses;

a database storing associations between the identifier, related messages, and billing accounts, the database accessible to authorities investigating content of the messages; and

a financial module for debiting a financial account for providing a service in association with said message, wherein said financial account is associated with said message using said identifier.

26. The system of claim 25 further comprising:

a conversion module adapted for performing at least one of the processes of;

converting said nonresident created message to a form receivable by said resident; and

converting said resident created message to a form selected by said nonresident.

27. The system of claim 25 further comprising:

a conversion module adapted for performing the processes of converting a message to an electronically searchable form; and

a searching module adapted for performing the processes of searching said electronically searchable form for information of interest to an investigator.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein said searching module is further adapted to alert said investigator when said searching module finds said information of interest.

29. The system of claim 25, further comprising at least two of:

an electronic messaging system accessible to said nonresident and said resident through the use of an electronic device;

a voice messaging system accessible to said nonresident and said resident through the use of a telephone;

a scanning system and printing system, wherein said scanning system is adapted for converting a paper form of a message into an electronic form and said printing system is adapted for converting an electronic form of a message into a paper form.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein said identifier comprises at least one of:

a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID), a machine readable code, and a Personal Identification Number (PIN).

31. The system of claim 25, wherein said identifier comprises a machine readable code, and wherein said machine readable code comprises a barcode on a message sheet used by said resident to create said content of said message.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising a printing module adapted for printing said barcode on a detachable sticker for placement onto said message sheet.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising a printing module adapted for printing said barcode onto said message sheet.