Correctional Billing Services, Everham ripoff Selma Alabama

I'm having a hard time feeling sorry for this person.

Your son is in jail because he could not follow the rules. To be put in jail for "violation of probation" tells me two things... 1. He was found guilty of a crime and was given the chance to leave jail early and 2. He could not stay out of trouble long enough to STAY out of jail.

If your son can't do the time, he shouldn't do the crime.

Get over it.

It truly is correct when people say, "Ignorance Is Bliss". How can an individual comment on something that he/she knows nothing about? The circumstances involved with this inmate is not the issue. The Rip-Off here is about Correctional Billing Services.

It is not about the "State-Of-Mental-Competency" of Jailers at County Correctional Institutions. It is about the "Fleecing" being done at Correctional Billing Services.

Although when persons are placed in these positions of authority,....i.e... Jailers, Probation Officers, Prison Guards, etc...etc... a complete proficiency examination should be required on a regular basis.

"A Few Bad Apples Spoil The Rest". For anyone to comment on someone elses misfortune without any legal information must certainly be lacking "mental-functionality" or is employed at a correctional facility where his or her Job Description is descibed as "Jailer"...........(Roberta Shakes Head)

You complain about people who "comment on someone elses misfortune must certainly be lacking "mental-functionalilty." Well, YOU are the one who posted this drival, moaning about your poor son who is in jail becuase he violated probation. Give me a break. I doubt very seriously that he is in there because of a "false positive." Any so-called para-legal would know more about the accuracy of these tests. If your son was any kind of man at all he would admit his mistakes and accept his punishment, not have mommy bemoan the system that put him in jail.

As for Correctional Billing Service. File a complaint with the state. They set up the contract with this company that set the charges for this service.

Otherwise, write him a letter, it's still (for now) only 37 cents.

Correctional Billing Services is a scam, obviously. The idea is that if you charge a high fee for a phone call that would dissuade inmates from making calls...at least, that's the OFFICIAL party line. In practice, jails that use CBS encourage inmates to use the service because the jails get a cut of the ridiculous per-call fees.

The only way CBS makes any money is when an inmate calls you and you accept the call. So the best way to avoid these fees is not to accept the calls. Of course, if your kid would stay out of jail in the first place this wouldn't be a problem.

I CAN TELL YOU ALL THAT FALSE-NEGATIVES DO HAPPEN ALL THE TIME... MY BROTHER WHO IS IN AN ALABAMA PRISON HAD A FALSE NEGATIVE RESULT ON A DRUG TEST BUT HE CHALLENGED THE COURTS ON THE RESULTS, HE WAS TOLD HE WOULD BE RETESTED WITH A DIFFERENT METHOD CALLED THE HAIR FOLLICLE TEST BUT SHOULD HE TEST POSITIVE ON THIS TEST HE WOULD BE CHARGED WITH ALL COST ASSOCIATED WITH THE TEST. THIS TEST IS DONE BY GETTING THE HAIR FOLLICLE WHICH WILL SHOW ANY AND ALL DRUGS TAKEN IN A 90 DAY PERIOD... MY BROTHER PASSED THIS TEST AND NOW WHEN ANYONE HAS A DISPUTE AS TO THEIR DRUG TEST RESULTS I URGE THEM ALL TO GO AND TAKE THEIR CHANCES ON THE HAIR FOLLICLE TEST. AS FOR THE CORRECTIONAL BILLING I AM CHARGED $3.85 FOR THE FIRST MINUTE AND $0.35 EACH MINUTE FOR THE REMAINING 14 MINUTES. THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! IF THEY HAVE FAMILY WHO DOES NOT LIVE IN THE SAME STATE AS THE INMATE THEY ARE CHARGED $7.85 FOR THE FIRST MINUTE AND THEN $0.95 FOR EACH MINUTE THERE AFTER. MY BROTHER IS IN PRISON BECAUSE HE TOOK A FRIEND TO A HOUSE TO RETRIEVE HIS BELONGINGS. MY BROTHER NEVER EXITED HIS CAR AND KNEW NOTHING OF WHAT WENT ON INSIDE OF THIS HOUSE UNTIL POLICE CAME TO HIS HOUSE TO PICK HIM UP ON QUESTIONING. HE WAS THEN TOLD A WOMAN WAS MURDERED INSIDE THIS HOUSE EXECUTION STYLE THE NIGHT HE WAS PARKED OUT SIDE THE RESIDENCE. MY BROTHER FULLY COOPERATED WITH POLICE PUTTING HIMSELF IN DANGER BY GOING TO THE MURDERER AND TAKING HIM TO THE POLICE ... IN BRIEF IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A COLD CASE HAD MY BROTHER NOT COOPERATED IN THE POLICE MATTERS AND HE HAS BEEN PUNISHED BY BEING PUT INTO PRISON FOR HELPING THE POLICE CATCH A KILLER ... MY BROTHER ADMITTED TO DRIVING THE MAN TO THE HOUSE TO GET HIS BELONGINGS SO HE WAS CHARGED WITH SECOND DEGREE BURGLARY INSTEAD OF THE ORIGINAL CHARGE OF CAPITAL MURDER. MY BROTHER GOT 20 YEARS AND THE MURDERER GOT 25 YEARS... I THINK I WOULD RATHER SEEN THE MURDERER WALK FREE AND MY BROTHER KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT JUST BECAUSE MY BROTHER GOT RAILROADED IN THE PROCESS.

I also have a son who is incarcerated & dealing with CBS is a nightmare. It seems as though this company has got very bad business practices.
Every time we get on the phone with our son, we are either cut off in mid conversation or disconnected before we even get to talk to him.

Alot of people don't understand what it is like to have a loved one in jail & when you don't get to talk to them it is just that much harder on the family & the inmate & My son is a first time offender & is doing his time for his crime, but I don't think that the families should have to pay the price of not being able to talk to their loved one because this company just sees the almighty dollar.

It is a shame to know that hard working, tax paying families have to put up with this type of outrageous business prctice form a company that claims to bridge the gap between families & inmates.

When you try to issue a complaint against this company it doesn't do any good. I have sent letters to the FCC, the companies headquarters in Tx. & fully intend to send letters to my representatives on the state & local levels & alos to Washington, it seems to me that prisoners who have tried to kill our own citizens have more rights than our own American citizens.

Alisha
Deatsville,Ala

Im in Memphis, and this same problem with correctional billing is happening here. Dropped calls, phones breaking down. I dont know if this means the same thing but Sprint PCS is in a civil lawsuit now for the same thing thats going on with correctional billing. I figured the calls are dropped because they know your love ones that are locked up will continue to call back,( thats more money for them) This has been going on for years! For instance the phone calls suppose to last for 15 minutes, but the call is dropped after 5 minutes, he calls back then it will say thank you after 10 minutes meaning CB gets paid double for one call. this is nothing but FRAUD written all over it and I wont be surprised if CB end up with a fat civil lawsuit against them!

It does not matter that someone is incarcerated, or even why. It does not give the right to the jail or the phone service to engage in extortion and/or usery.

And to some of you uninformed people out there regarding incarceration. Until you have ben there, you should not comment.

It could happen to you, and when it does, your tune will change. I guarantee it.

It does not take much in some jurisdictions to end up in jail, or even prison. If you cannot afford to buy justice, you could do time for something you were not guilty of. It happens.

It will take legislation to stop the extortion of the families of the incarcerated. This can only be done by exposure at the national level like the media.

For all of you with incarcerated family members, I hope they come home to you soon. In the mean time keep up the good fight against these extortionists.

You have the nerve to come on this PUBLIC forum and complain about the cost of collect calls from your son, who is in jail. I wonder what the good people in the State of Wisconsin have to say about footing the bill to feed and clothe him? Your son is a burden to society, the VERY least you can do is to pay for his calls WITHOUT COMPLAINT.

And the fact that your son is in jail IS relevant, because, if he weren't, your complaint would not exist.

This is not a ripoff for you. The good citizens of Wisconsin are being ripped off.

Wisconsin is one of the highest taxed states in the country. We call it the tax hell. Businesses are moving out, unemployment is moving in. I, for one, resent having to work my butt off and pay ever increasing taxes, just to have the relative of someone who I am feeding and sheltering moan about charges to speak with her son who can't seem to obey the law. As one of the above posters commented, since it was a violation of probation, he obviously had been convicted of a crime prior to this so-called false test result. Get a life!! If you MUST speak with him, deal with the cost.

Chip,

There are other options for making calls. One is a calling card. Another is a free local phone with a 5 minute timer on it.

What about the friends and family members that may be on fixed incomes or low income and just can't afford it? There is no reason for it other than to rip people off. Those costs cannot be justified.

People make mistakes! Have you never made a serious mistake in your life? Have you ever been the victim of a false complaint? I have. And I was charged with a FELONY over it. I am still paying for it in more ways than one. And I have been a law abiding citizen all my life.

Until you have been there, you have no idea what you are talking about. FYI...The slop they call food costs less than $1/day per prisoner and the clothes are not that great. They are recycled for many years, and that cost is very little.

You need to look at the big picture and get educated on how the real world works before running off at the mouth. Many people are in jail only because they could not afford bail, or could not afford to buy a defense. However, the people with money never spend a day in jail and get the charges dropped when many of them should be in jail.

How is that fair?

I am not going to comment on the fairness of our judicial system. And no, I have never made such a huge mistake that it landed me in the judicial system.

If there are other, less expensive calling options, then, again, why is Roberta complaining? Personal responsibility -- she should check those out. And before you run your mouth, you need to understand that her son broke the law, then violated his probation. Mistakes? Both? I don't think so.

But that's irrelevant. Like it or not, she has nothing to complain about when the good people of Wisconsin are paying for his food, clothing, shelter and medical care. Period, end of story. The quality of food is also irrelevant, as is the fact that he is not being clothed by Saks Fifth Avenue. Surely you don't expect tax paying citizens to foot the bill for crab legs, caviar and Ralph Lauren, do you?

The ripoff is on the citizens of Wisconsin. They are paying for this guy's care. All Roberta has to do is pay for some phone calls WHICH SHE CAN REFUSE TO ACCEPT, by the way.

By the way, you said "Many people are in jail only because they could not afford bail, or could not afford to buy a defense." No. People are in jail because they are suspected of a crime. They may REMAIN in jail for the reasons you stated, but they wouldn't be in jail in the first place if they hadn't put themselves in a position or place to be arrested.

By the way, if you have been charged with a felony -- a FELONY -- chances are there's more to your story. I'm not buying the false complaint story at all...

Chip,

Inmates are not offered the other options. That is why it is a rip off.

You seem to make alot of assumptions about people and circumstances without the benefit of knowledge.

In my case, it was a blatant false accusation based on an identity made at a distance of 250 feet away at sunset without any physical evidence. Wrong place at the wrong time.

It CAN happen to you. Trust me on that.

First, someone tell that jack-ass in Wisconsin to get the chip off his shoulder and jump down off his high horse. Who the hell does he think he is, judging people like that? Last time I checked God didn't reside in Wisconsin... So to jack-ass, you'll have to answer for your attitude when you come face to face with God. I sincerely hope you've found your lost heart and some compassion before then.

The fact is people ARE falsely accused all the time. Innocent people are found guilty all the time. People are arrested based on inaccurate information all the time. The judicial system is not perfect and the prison systems are so pathetic in their treatment of inmates that for some, the only ray of hope they have in a day, week, whatever is the voice of someone they love that gets them through the hell they're in until they either get a visitation or finish their sentence. So Mr Wisconsin, walk a mile in the inmate or his family's shoes before running off at that hole in your face. Until you've been in that predicament or have a single clue what those inmates and their families go through, shut your f&*^ing mouth. PS- Mr Wisconsin, everyone in every state pays TAXES. If that's your gripe go post your own separate report.

This issue is strictly Correctional Billing Services. Not who is in jail or why. I have a loved one in a prison also, and it's pathetic how CBS works. With ours, it's $2.55 to connect + .35 a minute at a 15 minute max. And ditto on the calls cutting off. I have every service turned OFF my phone, no call waiting, forwarding, nothing on the land line -- and calls still cut out like nobody's business.

Their charges are a rip-off and it's very simply a shitty scam. The prisons get a peice of the pie, CBS makes money hand over fist, and for Mr Wisconsin, both the calling from and calling to state gets a piece of the pie. So if John Doe in Wisconsin prison calls home in Wisconsin, the state gets a double dip off of that money. So keep bitching about taxes... the inmates family is paying tax to your stupid state too. And if you think you pay too much tax, feel free to move to another state.

To those who are truly interested and disturbed by CBS practices & the near extortion of their pricing, I feel your same pain. What I have learned is that if you pull up their website or manage to get through to a "customer SATISFACTION representative" (what a joke), you can get an address where you can mail in payments. You just need to put your phone number on the memo line of your check or money order, and they'll post it to your account, usually in about 3 - 5 business days. If you do that with plenty on your account, you don't get stuck with the $8 fee every time you pay over the phone.

Also, I don't know if this is only good in Alabama or not, but there is a website you can go to www.livingwordisp.net

It is a service started by 2 ladies who had sons in prison and came up with a way to lessen the expenses for the families. I just got the information recently, but what I know is for $19.95 a month, they set you up with a number that is LOCAL to the inmates location. The inmate calls that number instead of your home number and it forwards the call to where ever you designate... your home, cell, office. And it reduces the call amounts, depending on the time of day, from $367 to $4.72 reduction a call in state, & from $15.10 - $16.15 less a call out of state. Their number is 877-264-7715. Their name is Living Word Internet Service. A woman who runs a hospitality house where families can stay near the prison the night before visitation gave me the information. Both Hospitality House and LWIS are non-profit Christian agencies, who do not judge like Wisconsin seems to. They're both supportive agencies trying to help alleviate some of the stress and costs for the family associated with having a loved one in prison. They do not care why they are there and do not ask; they'll pray with you if you ask or they'll just provide you their services and leave you be if you prefer privacy.

Hope some of this info is helpful to those of you out there. I'm disgusted every time I have to send $$ to CBS. Note they're also supposed to call to notify you if your pre-paid balance is getting low, but I've as yet to have one phone call. Only ever know the balance by calling in every few days to check it myself.

God bless all who go through what I and my family are going through.

This women has a son and is emotional as I am sooo sure any of us would be so have some compassion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let the person who is without sin throw the first stone.
Are you aware that Jesus Christ was a prisoner , Read Matthew 25 the chapter will tell you those who helps will inherit heaven and those who don't will go the everlasting lake of fire!

What has happened in our world today when one cannot or willnot show compassion to a mom who knows her son is in trouble and can't do anything to help and has to pay a arm and leg just to speak with him?
Think about yourself and how you would feel in that situation!

Like I said let the one without sin/mistakes in their life throw the first stone. I will tell you this NO STONES WILL BE THROWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are millions of innocent people in jail, Who are you to judge anyone as thats not our place to judge.

When your placed in jail you have to pay 50$ per day when your released now they spend 10$ and recovering 50$ so whos paying?

Why don't you get YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going through it with Correctional Billing Services right now (see my rip-off report posted today). I think that before my introduction to the prison phone system I had little sympathy for a lot of prisoner rights issues. That is not the case now that I'm experiencing it firsthand. Having someone in prison does not mean the phone companies the prisons and jails have contracts with can make millions in profits off the backs of families and friends of inmates. I pay taxes too, which is why you shouldn't need to fleece me!!! I pay taxes for a lot of crap I get no benefit from whatsoever, but that's life. I write my loved one on average three times a week. I only get to visit twice a year due to the distance. Reading a piece of paper isn't the same as connecting by hearing someone's familiar voice.

My advice to those getting screwed by CBS? Write your government, your attorney general, the FCC, consumer advocacy groups, and newspapers. Type up a letter which clearly states the facts of your situation and be sure to include your contact information. Set a goal regarding how many letters per week you should send. I'd say 2 a week on average is reasonable. If all of us who had issues with CBS did that, we could eventually promote change and prevent families from dealing with this in the future. Also, reach out the people on the Prison Talk web site. They are more that willing to answer any questions you may have.