Securus Correctional Billing Service securus Technologies Securus Correctional Billing misrepresents prices and hides fees Houston, Texas

My daughter was arrested while visiting in Texas at the age of 17, well in TX she is consdered an adult so they placed my 17yoa daughter in the County Jail with adult offenders.

I created an account with securus correctional billing so that why my daugter was incarcerated she would be able to call home and be comforted until the situation got resolved or bail was arranged, I put $30.00 on the prepaid account and was charged a $6.95 processing fee making my total $36.95.
 
My daughter called once and we spoke for 15min until we were disc by the telephone company, after our call I called Securus to inquire on my balance and was advised that my balance was only $2.85.
 
Meaning that my one 15 min call with her cost me $27.18.. according to the company the breakdown is as follows for the charges $4.42 just to connect the call, $0.89 per min and finally $4.96 as a service fee for receiving the call.

Hello people I paid a service fee of $6.95 just to give them money, $4.42 for a call to be connected and a service fee of $4.96 to simply receive a call.

There should be no way this is legal, the federal government adopted a law against price gouging in the United Stated of America so how are these companies able to break federal law everyday and still continue to conduct business in the United States?

The definition of price gouging is: pricing above the market price when no alternative retailer is available
Is this not what these companies are doing to the families who are already suffering a crisis with the loss of a loved one being incarcerated??
 
In some cases the person sitting in jail is innocent and his/her loved ones are being totally inconvenienced emotionally and financially by the system only to have the only company that can access them the priviledge to communicate with their loved ones committ such a crime as to literally legally ROB them of more of their already stressed finances??

If anyone can help put a stop to this crime that is being committed please help.