We could at least restore democracy to exconvicts and give them a political voice.

> A rich founder should take this companies on and bleed them dry.

It can't be done. The way to win the contract is to offer the biggest kickback to the prison. One cannot pay such a big kickback without gouging prisoners and their families.

That's why they specified rich founder - someone who doesn't need to cover the costs through the business income.

Sounds like the only option is to abolish for-profit prisons, which is obviously easier said than done.

It's not unique to commercial prisons. My friend has been incarcerated only in state prisons or regional jails, and you still have to rely on Jpay, ConnectNetwork, and other pay systems for most contacts.

Hard to disrupt when the decision criteria is the value of the kickbacks.

Limited upside, bad press on the downside and incendiary social media reactions for any minor thing they do wrong. There are areas in which our culture does not permit risk taking.

The decision makers are not particularly concerned about superior alternative vendors or value for those that need it most.