Management and dissemination of information from a controlled-environment facility
View Patent ↗Systems and methods for dissemination of information from a controlled-environment facility may offer a non-resident and/or resident an option to subscribe to notifications about a particular resident of a controlled-environment facility and/or notifications about the controlled-environment facility. Identification and contact information may be accepted from the non-resident to establish the non-resident as a paid or non-paid subscriber to notifications about the resident and/or the controlled-environment facility. A determination may be made, or an indication may be received from a controlled-environment facility administration and management system, when information about the resident hosted by the controlled-environment administration and management system changes and/or when a change is made to information about the controlled-environment facility. As a result, the subscriber is contacted and notified of the change(s).
1. A method comprising:
offering a party to a controlled-environment facility communication an opportunity, by one or more controlled-environment facility computer systems, to become a subscriber to notifications about a particular resident and/or about the controlled-environment facility before, after, and/or during the communication, wherein the notifications that are offered are determined based on an incarceration status of the resident;
accepting a subscription, from a subscriber by the one or more computer systems, to notifications about the particular resident of a controlled-environment facility and/or notifications about the controlled-environment facility;
determining, or receiving an indication, by the one or more computer systems when a change is made to information about the resident in the same or different one or more computer systems and/or when a change is made to information about the controlled-environment facility;
contacting the subscriber; and
notifying the subscriber of the change.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising offering a non-resident or the resident an opportunity to subscribe to notifications about the resident and/or about the controlled-environment facility on a website, in a telephone call, and/or in a text message.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication is a communication by a non-resident to inquire about the resident.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication is a communication by a non-resident to fund an account of the resident.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein accepting the subscription further comprises establishing whether the subscription will be a paid subscription or a free subscription and accepting funding from the subscriber if the subscription is a paid subscription.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein accepting the subscription further comprises accepting a telephone number and/or an email address provided by the subscriber.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein contacting the subscriber further comprises placing a telephone call to the number provided by the subscriber and notifying the subscriber comprises playing an interactive voice message, by a controlled-environment facility interactive voice response system, to the subscriber, presenting the change for the resident and/or the change for the controlled-environment facility.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the controlled-environment facility interactive voice response system presents the subscriber an opportunity to obtain further information about the resident and/or the facility using the interactive voice response system during the call.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the controlled-environment facility interactive voice response system presents the subscriber an option to carry out at least one action with respect to the resident and/or facility corresponding to at least one category of at least one action last carried out by a caller associated with the phone number.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the controlled-environment facility interactive voice response system presents the subscriber an offer to facilitate an action related to the change.
11. The method of claim 6 , wherein contacting the subscriber further comprises sending a short message service, enhanced messaging service and/or multimedia message service text message to the number provided by the subscriber and notifying the subscriber comprises providing the subscriber a statement of the change for the resident and/or the change for the controlled-environment facility.
12. The method of claim 6 , wherein contacting the subscriber comprises sending an email to the email address provided by the subscriber to notify the subscriber of the change for the resident and/or the change for the controlled-environment facility.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein notification of the change for the resident and/or the change for the controlled-environment facility in the email includes an indication of a former status of the resident and/or the controlled-environment facility and a new status of the resident and/or the controlled-environment facility.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the email includes at least one hyperlink to a website where more information about the resident and/or the controlled-environment facility may be obtained by the subscriber.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein notifying the subscriber of the change comprises, at least in part notifying the subscriber of the change via a website.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein notifying the subscriber of the change comprises, at least in part notifying the subscriber of the change via a video.
17. A controlled-environment facility notification system comprising:
one or more computer systems, each comprising at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory configured to store program instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the one or more computer systems to controlled-environment management system to:
store information about residents of the controlled-environment facility and information about the controlled-environment facility; and
offer an opportunity to become a subscriber to notifications about a particular resident and/or about the controlled-environment facility, wherein the notifications that are offered are determined based on an incarceration status of the resident;
accept a subscriber's subscription to offered notifications for a particular resident of the controlled-environment facility and/or notifications about the controlled-environment facility, the subscription including contact information for the subscriber and payment for the subscription is the subscription is not a free subscription;
determine, or receive an indication from another of the one or more computer systems, when a change is made to the information about the resident stored by the one or more computer systems and/or when a change is made to information about the controlled-environment facility stored by the one or more computer systems;
contact the subscriber by telephone, by sending a text message, via video, and/or via email; and
notify the subscriber of the change during the contact or by directing the subscriber to a website.
18. The controlled-environment facility notification system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more computer systems present a non-resident or the resident an opportunity to subscribe to notifications about the resident and/or about the controlled-environment facility on a website, in a telephone call, and/or in a text message.
19. The controlled-environment facility notification system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more computer systems present the subscriber an option to carry out at least one action with respect to the resident corresponding to at least one category of at least one action last carried out by the subscriber.
20. The controlled-environment facility notification system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more computer systems present the subscriber an opportunity to obtain further information about the resident.
21. The controlled-environment facility notification system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more computer systems present the subscriber an offer to facilitate an action related to the change.
22. The controlled-environment facility notification system of claim 17 , wherein a notification of the change for the resident and/or the change for the controlled-environment facility includes an indication of a former status of the resident and/or the controlled-environment facility and a new status of the resident and/or the controlled-environment facility.
23. The controlled-environment facility notification system of claim 17 , wherein a notification of the change for the resident and/or the change for the controlled-environment facility includes at least one link to a website where more information about the resident and/or the controlled-environment facility may be obtained by the subscriber.
24. A tangible computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by one or more controlled-environment facility computer systems, cause the one or more controlled-environment facility computer systems to:
accept identification, contact and any required payment information from a subscriber to establish a subscription to notifications about a particular resident of a controlled-environment facility and/or notifications about the controlled-environment facility, wherein the notifications that are available for subscription are determined based on an incarceration status of the resident;
determine, or receive an indication from one or more other controlled-environment facility computer systems, when information about the resident hosted by the same or one or more other controlled environment computer systems changes and/or when a change is made to information about the controlled-environment facility;
contact the subscriber; and
notify the subscriber of the change during the contact or by directing the subscriber to a website.