Prison Calls Train AI to Sniff Out Future Crimes
A telecom company called Securus Technologies pulled data from years of inmate phone and video calls to build an AI model. Now they’re testing it to scan conversations for signs of planned crimes, according to MIT Technology Review.
How the AI Works
Securus president Kevin Elder says they kicked this off in 2023. One model came from seven years of calls in Texas prisons. They’re making others tailored to specific states or counties.
The tool runs on calls, texts, and emails in real time at some facilities—jails, prisons, even ICE detention centers, though Securus won’t name them. Elder calls their data pile a “treasure trove.” The AI flags bits where crimes seem “contemplated,” so investigators catch them early.
Facility staff pick random convos or suspects to monitor. AI analyzes, highlights sections, humans check, then pass to investigators. Elder claims past monitoring stopped human trafficking, gang ops, and staff smuggling contraband. No examples tied directly to this AI yet.
Inmate Pushback
People in prison know calls get recorded—signs tell them and who they call. But Bianca Tylek of Worth Rises says they don’t know about AI training. “Coercive consent,” she calls it. No choice to talk family otherwise, and inmates pay for calls in most states. Securus charges them while grabbing data, no pay for it.
Asked if inmates can opt out of AI training, Securus dodged. They say facilities set recording rules.
Corene Kendrick from the ACLU’s National Prison Project points to Securus’ record: leaks showed thousands of attorney calls wrongly recorded. She worries this ramps up invasive watching with little court limits. “Stop crime before it happens by tracking every word and thought?” Tech races past laws here.
Securus insists it’s about patterns and anomalies across all comms, not targeting folks. Helps with staff shortages.
FCC Lets Companies Charge Inmates Again
Securus got a funding boost after FCC fights. In 2024, FCC banned passing recording costs to inmates—prisons pay most security from their budgets. Sheriffs griped, states sued, some threatened to kill calls.
Securus lobbied while building AI. June saw delays on reforms. October: FCC raised rate caps, lets companies bill inmates for storage, transcription, AI analysis.
Securus says it balances cost with safety for everyone. FCC’s Brendan Carr pushed it for “public safety tools” like AI. Commissioner Anna Gomez dissented: cops should pay security, not inmate families.
Rules are open for comment before final approval.
