AGENCY TESTIMONY
Addressing past vendor issues and complaint handling
0:10:01
ยท
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The Department of Correction acknowledges past issues with vendors and outlines steps taken to address these concerns, particularly regarding telephone services and commissary operations.
- DOI report on unintentional recording of privileged phone calls addressed through corrective action plan
- Very few complaints received about commissary services (less than 1% of orders)
- Minimal complaints about tablet services
- Quick resolution of issues by dedicated staff members
James Conroy
0:10:01
In 2023, the Department of Investigation released a report related to the tell to the telephone services provider's unintentional recording of privileged phone calls, causing breaches of attorney client privilege for some persons in custody.
0:10:15
Well before the report was released, the the Department of Correction had placed the provider on a closely monitored corrective action plan to address the unique issues that arose in this incident.
0:10:26
As noted in the report, the vendor worked quickly and transparent with the department to correct the issue and implemented safeguards to prevent future problems.
0:10:36
Since the remedial measures were put into place, all privileged telephone communications have been handled legally and appropriately.
0:10:44
Additionally, we are aware of criticisms relating to the vendor providing commissary services in our facilities.
0:10:51
However, the department receives very few complaints related to commissary services.
0:10:56
Less than 1% of orders are associated with a grievance and works with people in custody to quickly resolve any issues that may arise.
0:11:05
The vast majority of these complaints are related to delivery status or about accessing accounts to place an order.
0:11:11
Very few, if any, grievances are related to product prices or quality.
0:11:16
Similarly, we have found that we see very few complaints regarding tablet services relative to the scale of the operation.
0:11:23
Complaints that are received are addressed quickly by dedicated members of our staff.