Multiple Carriers in Secure Environment

Abstract

Systems and methods which facilitate selection of communication carriers for communications made in association with a controlled environment facility by a party to the communications are shown. Embodiments allow for a calling party and/or a called party to select a preferred communication carrier from a plurality of communication carriers for a current communication and/or one or more future communications. A party's carrier selection may be stored by a communication processing system for use with respect to a plurality of communication sessions. Embodiments provide a conflict resolution algorithm to arbitrate conflicting carrier selections where both a calling party and a called party to select a carrier for a communication session. Embodiments provide a premise based communication processing system, a centralized communication processing system, or a distributed configuration comprising a hybrid of the foregoing premise based and centralized configurations.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method comprising:
 adapting a communication processing system of a controlled environment facility to enable a selection, by at least one party to a communication session, of a particular communication carrier among a plurality of communication carriers available to be used in the communication session, the adapted communication processing system configured to initiate the communication session in association with a resident of the controlled environment facility using the selection of the particular communication carrier.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein adapting the communication processing system further comprises:
 configuring a plurality of communication session monitoring software modules to provide desired operation with respect to the plurality of communication carriers, wherein a select one or more of the plurality of communication monitoring software modules are utilized in providing communication services associated with said communication session using said selected communication carrier.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein adapting the communication processing system further comprises:
 providing a plurality of carrier control configurations to provide desired operation with respect to the plurality of communication carriers, wherein a select one or more of the plurality of carrier control configurations are utilized in controlling the communication session using the selected communication carrier.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein adapting the communication processing system further comprises:
 configuring a legacy controlled environment facility communication processing system to direct communication initiation attempts to systems of a remote site for accepting selection of the particular communication carrier, the legacy controlled environment facility communication processing system and the systems of the remote site forming the controlled environment facility communication processing system.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 accepting the selection of the particular communication carrier selected by the at least one party.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein accepting the selection of the particular communication carrier is provided at initiation of the communication session. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein accepting the selection of the particular communication carrier is provided prior to initiation of the communication session. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising:
 storing the said selection of the particular communication carrier for use with respect to subsequent communication sessions provided in association with the at least one party.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the at least one party includes two parties to the communication session, each party providing selection of a different communication carrier. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 resolving a conflict between communication carrier selections of the two parties.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the controlled environment facility is an inmate facility and the resident is an inmate. 
     
     
         32 . A system comprising:
 communication processing system configured to provide control of communications made in association with a controlled environment facility, the communication processing system including a communication carrier selection subsystem, whereby a communication session provided through the communication processing system is provided using a communication carrier selected by a party to the communication session using the carrier selection subsystem.   
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the communication processing system is configured to control communication session access to a public network by a resident of the controlled environment facility. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 33 , wherein the public network comprises a public switched network. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 33 , wherein the public network comprises a packet network. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 32 , the communication processing system further including a plurality of communication session monitoring software modules, ones of said communication session monitoring software modules being configured for operation with respect to different communication carriers of a plurality of communication carriers. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 32 , the communication processing system further including a plurality of carrier control configurations, ones of the carrier control configurations provided for control of communication sessions utilizing different communication carriers among a plurality of communication carriers. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 32 , the communication processing system further including a communication session validation subsystem, whereby said communication session validation subsystem is configured to provide a validation determination before a communication session is initiated through the communication processing system. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 32 , the communication processing system further including a risk validation subsystem. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the risk validation subsystem is configured to provide a risk determination before a communication session is initiated through the communication processing system. 
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the risk validation subsystem is configured to provide a risk determination to the communication carrier selected by the party for the communication session. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the communication processing system is disposed at a premises of the controlled environment facility. 
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the communication processing system is disposed at a site remote from the controlled environment facility. 
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein at least a portion of the communication processing system is disposed at a premises of the controlled environment facility and at least a portion of the communication processing system is disposed at a site remote from the controlled environment facility.