Latest news with #ICSolutions
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘It's been a living hell': Wisconsin prison phone failures leave families disconnected
This story was produced and originally published by WPR and Wisconsin Watch. Wisconsin prisoners have struggled to connect with loved ones for weeks and even months as a state contractor fails to keep up with increasing demand for its call and messaging services. The Department of Corrections last year began working with Texas-based ICSolutions, the prison system's phone provider, to make electronic tablets free for every state prisoner. The state allocated $2.5 million to cover some of the cost. The program aims to boost quality of life behind bars by making it easier for incarcerated people to connect with their loved ones and access problems began after some prisons began distributing the tablets in March 2024. The issues worsened this spring, prisoners and their family members say, spreading across institutions that imprison more than 23,000. More: Wisconsin is spending $2.5 million on new tablets in prisons. Find out what's changing and why. More: Jails around Wisconsin forgo in-person visits for video calls. How is this affecting those incarcerated? WPR and Wisconsin Watch heard from more than 25 people experiencing connection difficulties at multiple prisons. Incarcerated people described dialing a number multiple times before getting through and waiting more than an hour for calls to connect. Family members described hearing their phones ring but receiving no option to connect with the caller; some calls have dropped mid-conversation. Family members are airing frustrations in a nearly 300-member Facebook forum launched specifically to discuss the phone problems. Brenda McIntyre, incarcerated at Robert E. Ellsworth Correctional Center, traditionally calls her grandchildren every weekend. But the overwhelmed system blocked a recent check-in. ''Grandma, why didn't you call me? You said you're going to call me,'' McIntyre recalled one grandchild asking when they finally connected. Phone services somewhat improved late last week, McIntyre said. But she worries about missing updates about her sister's cancer treatment. 'It's been a living hell,' she said. Neither ICSolutions nor its parent company responded to requests for comment. But in an undated statement on its website, the company promised improvements in the 'coming weeks,' with 'significant optimization coming this summer.' The statement recommended shifting calls to 'off-peak hours' — before 5 p.m. or after 9 p.m. But family members say they are not always available at such hours. Corrections spokesperson Beth Hardtke squarely blamed ICSolutions, saying state-run infrastructure and Wi-Fi access played no role in the issue. 'To be very clear, the quality of service that ICSolutions is providing is not acceptable to the department. If reliability and customer service do not improve, the department will be forced to reevaluate our contract,' Hardtke wrote in an email. The statement from ICSolutions blamed 'unexpected challenges' from increased demand for calls. But Hardtke said the company previously assured the department it could handle higher call volume during the rollout. Prisoners in nine of Wisconsin's 36 adult institutions — including all three women's facilities — still lack tablets. The glitches affect them, too, because ICSolutions services the entire phone system, not just tablets. The corrections department is pausing tablet distribution while trying to fix the reliability problems, Hardtke said. Emily Curtis said she was cautiously excited when her incarcerated fiance gained access to a tablet at Stanley Correctional Institution. He previously could call only from the prison's landlines and during limited hours. The tablet enabled calls most anytime, even during lockdowns. For about two months, the two talked daily — right before Curtis fell asleep and right after she woke up. 'It was great,' Curtis said. 'Until everything kind of hit the fan.' Wisconsin is not the only state prison system that has issued tablets. Unlike some states, however, Wisconsin allows people to make calls from their cells and doesn't limit the number of calls they can make, Hartdke said via email. That policy, which the department communicated to ICSolutions during contract negotiations, naturally increased call volume, she added. Calls from Green Bay Correctional Institution, for instance, increased by nearly 200% after the tablet rollout, Hardtke wrote. Curtis now hears from her fiance just once daily, usually very early in the morning. Their 14-year-old son has gone weeks without talking to his dad, Curtis said, because the phone lines are too jammed once he's home from school. ICSolutions and the prison system make millions each year from phone calls. The company charges six cents a minute and shares revenue with the state, adding nearly $4 million to its general fund in recent years. Curtis said she spends roughly $250 a month on calls. Tablets present new revenue opportunities for prison contractors. An ICSolutions affiliate sold them to incarcerated Wisconsinites before the state made them free. And even with free tablets, prisoners pay for calls, messaging and other applications. The high cost of phone calls has long burdened the incarcerated and their families. The Federal Communications Commission last year responded by capping fees. Apps for TV and music aren't subject to the same regulations. That makes tablets a safer investment for prison telecommunication companies, said Wanda Bertram, a spokesperson for the nonprofit Prison Policy Initiative, which focuses on solutions to mass incarceration. Incarcerated people often greet the rollout of tablets with excitement, Bertram said. But the attempt to improve virtual communication comes as Wisconsin, like other states, has restricted other communication — like physical mail. In December 2021, the corrections department began rerouting all prisoner-bound mail to Maryland, where a company called TextBehind scans each piece of mail and sends a digital copy to those incarcerated. The controversial effort aims to reduce the flow of drugs into prisons. The change delays access to mail and boosts reliance on tablets. As a result, technology glitches have bigger consequences, Betram said. Charles Gill is incarcerated at Oshkosh Correctional Institution. His fiance lives in New York, and his adult son lives in New Jersey, too far to visit in person. Gill relies largely on his tablet for communication. But online texts have been delayed by two to three days, Gill said. 'We're helpless,' Gill said. 'To be a father, not knowing what's going on with your child, to be in a relationship with someone and not knowing what's going on with them. God forbid something happens and somebody goes to the hospital, somebody gets hurt. We don't know about it, and we can't reach out to nobody and talk about it.' Gill felt particularly helpless on Easter weekend, the anniversary of his brother's death. He couldn't reach any family members. 'The phones were just destroyed on (Easter) weekend, " he said. 'You could really feel the tension in the air because people weren't able to call their families.' He worries about a repeat around Mother's Day. 'Having that ability to speak to someone who still sees you as a human being and not a number is vital,' said Marianne Oleson, the operations director for Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing of Wisconsin. That's especially the case for mothers who are incarcerated. The majority of women in prisons nationally have children under the age of 18, according to a 2016 U.S. Department of Justice report. Phone calls offer incarcerated women their only chance to act as parent, wife or daughter — ensuring their loved ones are safe, Oleson said. The faulty phone system leaves incarcerated people with tough choices. 'We even have to choose to try the phone over going to meals,' Christa Williams, who is incarcerated at Ellsworth prison, wrote in an email. Shawnda Schultz said phone failures have left her incarcerated mother in tears during recent calls. 'It bothers me because their phone calls are the one thing that (prisoners) have to keep them going in there, and it keeps us going too, because that's our mother,' Schultz said. Schultz's sister recently delivered her first baby. If the phones don't improve, she worries her mother will miss hearing updates, like when her grandchild says his first word. 'I found myself actually in tears because I'm just like, 'what if something happens to my mom?'' Schulz said. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin prison phone failures leave families disconnected
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Yahoo
Warren County sheriff now providing jail inmates computer tablets in ‘humane treatment' plan
WARRENTON, N.C. (WNCN) — A North Carolina sheriff is allowing jail inmates awaiting trial to use computer tablets as part of 'humane treatment' for detainees, the sheriff's office said. The new computer 'tablet service' was launched last week in the Warren County Jail, according to a news release from Warren County Sheriff John Branche. Officials said the tablets are provided by IC Solutions at the jail in Warrenton. 'This system is being utilized by numerous detention facilities throughout North Carolina and the U.S.,' the Warren County Sheriff's Office said in the release. Warren County deputies released three photos of the tablet dispenser in the jail. 'It allows detainees to stay connected with family and friends, as well as their legal counsel. It provides religious support, educational classes and training. It also provides drug rehabilitation courses, anger management courses, and life skills courses,' the news release said. The sheriff's office said the tablets will allow those in jail to take courses and tests to prepare them for their general education diploma (GED). 'The goal of this system is to break the wheel of recidivism, and assist the detainees with becoming positive contributing citizens of, and to our communities,' the release said. The tablets did not cost Warren County taxpayers any money, deputies said. The new system was launched on Thursday, according to the news release. 'The Warren County Sheriff's Office is committed to the safety and welfare of our citizens. We also believe in humane treatment of pre-trial detainees,' officials said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pixelworks Full Year 2024 Earnings: EPS Beats Expectations
Revenue: US$43.2m (down 28% from FY 2023). Net loss: US$28.7m (loss widened by 9.7% from FY 2023). US$0.49 loss per share (further deteriorated from US$0.47 loss in FY 2023). All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Revenue was in line with analyst estimates. Earnings per share (EPS) surpassed analyst estimates by 3.9%. In the last 12 months, the only revenue segment was Design, Development, Marketing and Sale of IC Solutions contributing US$43.2m. The largest operating expense was Research & Development (R&D) costs, amounting to US$31.3m (60% of total expenses). Over the last 12 months, the company's earnings were enhanced by non-operating gains of US$1.01m. Explore how PXLW's revenue and expenses shape its earnings. Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 18% p.a. on average during the next 2 years, compared to a 17% growth forecast for the Semiconductor industry in the US. Performance of the American Semiconductor industry. The company's shares are down 4.3% from a week ago. Be aware that Pixelworks is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis and 1 of those is potentially serious... Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
