Newly integrated system still enables quick connection between inmates and their loved ones while providing enhanced security features for facilities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Reston, Virginia (PR Newswire) – May 1, 2018 – GTL today announced that it has integrated Video Relay Service (VRS) into its inmate telephone system (ITS) platform, providing a better user experience for both inmates and correctional facilities.
VRS is a video calling service for the hearing impaired that uses video to allow for American Sign Language (ASL) conversations between parties or through VRS interpreters. Available on the Flex® Link multi-service units, VRS is used as a complement to traditional teletypewriter (TTY) devices.
“The VRS application is completely integrated into our phone platform in order to give facilities a solution that has all the same security features of GTL’s traditional ITS phone calls,” said Brian Deuster, GTL Product Manager, Video Initiatives. “GTL has a longstanding partnership with Purple Communications, one of the largest VRS ASL translation providers in the United States, to provide ASL translation services through our new integrated app. The VRS application provides for two types of calls. The first connects two deaf or hearing-impaired parties via video to allow for sign language between the inmate and the call recipient. The second call type, taking place between a deaf or hearing-impaired inmate and a call recipient that is not deaf or hearing-impaired, connects the parties via a VRS video interpreter who uses ASL with the hearing-impaired inmate and speaks with the non-hearing-impaired call recipient.”
“As we continue to grow our offerings, we are focused on solutions that simplify the work of correctional facility staff,” said Brian Peters, Vice President of Facility Product Management. “GTL’s solution allows for live monitoring, recording, and storing of all VRS calls for use in investigations, if necessary. Only inmates that have been granted access to VRS will see the application on our devices. All the same call control and security enforcement measures, such as the use of PIN, approved numbers, restricted numbers, call lengths, etc., available for traditional telephone calls now carry over to VRS calls. Facilities can have greater confidence in the safety, security, and compliance measures associated with GTL’s integrated VRS compared to other solutions.”
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About GTL
GTL leads the fields of correctional technology, education, and government payment services with visionary solutions and customized products that integrate seamlessly to deliver security, financial value, and operational efficiencies while aiding inmate rehabilitation and reducing recidivism rates. With the recent acquisition of Telmate, GTL has strengthened its suite of solutions for the corrections industry and expanded its community corrections portfolio with Telmate Guardian, a smartphone-based GPS monitoring solution. As a trusted industry leader, GTL provides services to over 2 million inmates in more than 2,500 correctional facilities in the United States and Canada, including more than 30 U.S. departments of corrections, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and many large city/county/provincial facilities. GTL is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America. To learn more about GTL, please visit www.gtl.net or social media sites on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
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