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Our Sources

Where We Got This Information

Transparency is part of CCJT's name and mission. Every claim in this campaign comes from a verified source, and we want those sources to be easy to find. Below is everything we drew on to build this campaign, organized by subject. If you want to dig deeper into any of it, these are the places to start.

The facts in this campaign are drawn from government enforcement orders, court records, FOIA-obtained contracts, peer-reviewed academic research, and reporting from established investigative and public interest outlets.

Active Procurement
Kalamazoo County RFP #2026009: Inmate Communication and Technology Services
The official Request for Proposal document issued May 13, 2026. Includes the draft contract, statement of work, evaluation criteria, and pricing schedule exhibit. Proposals submitted June 24, 2026. Source for all references to the active procurement process, evaluation structure, and contract requirements on this site.
kalcounty.gov (PDF)
Prison Legal News: Smart Communications Files for Bankruptcy (June 2025)
Reporting on Smart Communications Holding, Inc. filing for Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy protection on November 30, 2024, citing increased competition and litigation. Smart Communications is one of four vendors that attended the mandatory pre-proposal meeting for RFP #2026009 on May 27, 2026. Case No. 8:24-bk-07106, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida.
prisonlegalnews.org
The Kalamazoo Contract
"Profits from Prisoners" — Kristanitie May, Raine Kuch, and Reid Williams (September 30, 2025)
Primary local source. The original FOIA investigation into the jail telecom contract, including the rate structure, commission details, the signing payment, and the Deere family story. This was the first time the full contract terms became publicly available.
nowkalamazoo.org
"How We Found Out Who Profits from Jail Phone Calls in Kalamazoo County" — Kristanitie May (October 24, 2025)
Follow-up piece explaining how the investigation was conducted, including the public records request process and the documents obtained. Provides additional context on the relationship between the county, the Sheriff's Office, and ViaPath.
nowkalamazoo.org
Michigan DOC: Press Release on Prisoner Phone Rate Reduction (September 2022)
Official MDOC press release confirming the renegotiation of the ViaPath telecommunications contract and the reduction in per-minute rate from $0.14 to $0.0735, a 38% decrease. Source for the specific rate figures used in comparisons throughout this campaign.
michigan.gov/corrections
Michigan DOC: Official Phone Rate Documentation (2025)
MDOC's current official guidance page confirming the per-minute rate for Michigan state prison calls.
michigan.gov/corrections
Contract History: Before ViaPath
Prison Policy Initiative: Michigan Jail Phone Rates Table (2019)
PPI's state-by-state appendix data confirms that Kalamazoo County Jail was served by Telmate prior to the 2020 contract, with a documented rate of $3.75 for a 15-minute in-state call (equivalent to $0.25/minute). This is the primary source for the pre-2020 rate comparison used in this campaign.
prisonpolicy.org
Prison Policy Initiative: Screening Out Family Time, Exhibit 1 (2015)
National database of jail video visitation contracts compiled from open-records requests and facility filings. Lists Kalamazoo County under Telmate, establishing the vendor relationship prior to GTL's 2017 acquisition of Telmate and the 2020 contract rebid.
prisonpolicy.org (PDF)
GTL Press Release: Acquisition of Telmate (August 1, 2017)
GTL's official announcement of its acquisition of Telmate, the company that held the Kalamazoo County Jail telecom contract at the time. The acquisition transferred all existing Telmate contracts, including Kalamazoo County's, to GTL without a new county procurement. GTL later rebranded as ViaPath in January 2022.
gtl.net
Federal Enforcement Actions
CFPB Consent Order (November 14, 2024)
Federal enforcement action related to account freezing, fund seizure from inactive accounts, and failure to disclose fee schedules. $2 million in restitution and $1 million civil penalty ordered. File No. 2024-CFPB-0015.
consumerfinance.gov
CFPB Consent Order (Full PDF)
The complete 44-page consent order document.
PDF
FTC Final Order: Data Breach (February 24, 2024)
Federal Trade Commission final order related to a 2020 data breach affecting approximately 650,000 customers. Complaint No. 212-3012.
ftc.gov
Prison Legal News: FTC Data Breach Coverage (May 2024)
Detailed reporting on the FTC order and the circumstances of the breach, including the delay in notifying affected customers.
prisonlegalnews.org
Class Action: Inactive Account Seizure
Prison Legal News: $67M Settlement Coverage (April 2022)
Reporting on the class action settlement over a policy of seizing funds from prepaid accounts that had been inactive for 90 to 180 days. The company acknowledged collecting $96 million from prisoners and their families through this practice.
prisonlegalnews.org
Prison Legal News: $18.7M Attorney Fees Coverage (March 2023)
Coverage of the final order including attorney fee award and case conclusion.
prisonlegalnews.org
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse: Official Case Record
Githieya v. Global Tel Link Corp., N.D. Ga., Case No. 1:15-cv-00986. Full case history and documents.
clearinghouse.net
Mississippi Civil Settlement
Prison Legal News: Mississippi Settlement Coverage (April 2018)
Reporting on the $2.5 million civil settlement related to alleged payments tied to prison phone contract corruption. The company settled without admitting wrongdoing.
prisonlegalnews.org
Company Press Release on Mississippi Settlement
The official public statement on the settlement, noting the company denied any wrongdoing.
prnewswire.com
Price-Fixing Litigation
Prison Legal News: $21.3M Settlement Coverage (April 2025)
Reporting on the preliminary settlement in Albert v. Global Tel*Link Corp., a class action alleging price coordination between competing telecom vendors. D. Md., Case No. 8:20-cv-01936.
prisonlegalnews.org
Prison Legal News: Fourth Circuit RICO Reinstatement (May 2024)
Coverage of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reinstating the RICO claim after a lower court had dismissed it.
prisonlegalnews.org
FCC Rate Rules
FCC: Incarcerated People's Communications Services (2025 IPCS Order)
Primary source. The FCC's official page documenting the 2025 IPCS Order, which took effect April 6, 2026. Establishes interim rate caps tiered by facility average daily population, reinstates the prohibition on site commissions, and reinstates the prohibition on ancillary service charges including deposit fees, transaction fees, and live operator surcharges. Kalamazoo County Jail, with an average daily population of approximately 500, falls under the Medium Jails tier (350-999 ADP), with an effective audio rate cap of $0.12 per minute.
fcc.gov
Prison Legal News: FCC Backtracks on 2024 Order (August 2025)
Coverage of the FCC's June 2025 suspension of the 2024 rate caps, which had set $0.06/min for prisons and up to $0.12/min for jails.
prisonlegalnews.org
Stateline: FCC Raises Rate Caps (November 2025)
Reporting on the November 2025 FCC order replacing the 2024 rules with higher interim caps, while reinstating the ban on site commissions and ancillary fees, effective April 6, 2026.
stateline.org
State Free-Call Policies
Stateline: New York Free Calls (August 2025)
Coverage of New York State's free prison phone call program taking effect August 1, 2025, and context on the six states that have moved to free or substantially reduced-cost calls.
stateline.org
New York DOCCS: Free Phone Call Policy
Official NY Department of Corrections and Community Supervision page confirming the free-call policy effective August 1, 2025.
doccs.ny.gov
Colorado Sun: Colorado Free Calls Legislation (May 2023)
Coverage of Colorado's passage of House Bill 1133, making phone calls free in state prisons and youth detention facilities.
coloradosun.com
Commission Model and Industry Context
Axios: Site Commission Explainer (May 2021)
Source for the Peter Wagner quote on how site commissions drive up call rates nationally.
axios.com
Prison Policy Initiative: State of Phone Justice (2019 and 2022)
PPI's research on jail and prison phone rates nationally, commission history, and state-by-state data.
prisonpolicy.org/phones
Prison Policy Initiative: Michigan and Minnesota Jail Data
PPI data on in-person visitation bans at Michigan jails, including the finding that a majority of jails surveyed have banned in-person visits entirely.
prisonpolicy.org
GettingOut (ViaPath): Age Policy for Jail Phone Platform
Platform terms confirming that GettingOut services are intended for users 18 and older, relevant to the question of children's access to incarcerated parents.
gettingout.com
Research on Family Contact and Community Outcomes
Folk, Stuewig and Tangney (2019): Family Contact and Post-Release Mental Health
Peer-reviewed study showing more frequent family contact during incarceration predicts better mental health outcomes in the first year after release. PubMed PMID 30859871.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Urban Institute: Phone Calls and Incarceration Outcomes
Research linking regular phone contact with reduced anxiety and depression during incarceration and stronger family bonds upon release.
urban.org
Georgetown University: Phone Costs and Mental Distress
Study documenting a statistically significant relationship between higher call costs and worse mental health outcomes for incarcerated people, independent of other factors.
repository.library.georgetown.edu
Prison Policy Initiative: Family Contact Research Roundup (2021)
PPI's compilation of peer-reviewed research on the relationship between family contact during incarceration and outcomes after release.
prisonpolicy.org
Council of State Governments Justice Center: 50 States, 1 Goal (2024)
National report finding state-level reincarceration rates are 23% lower than in 2008, with family connection identified as a key component of successful reentry programming.
csgjusticecenter.org