Telecommunications access is a fundamental necessity for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, ensuring their ability to stay connected with family, legal counsel, and vital support networks. It is also required by federal law. As of January 1, 2024, the FCC mandates that correctional facilities with an average daily population of 50 or more individuals provide access to all relay services eligible for TRS fund support.
Yet for many incarcerated individuals with hearing loss, phone calls remain a difficult and frustrating experience. That’s why we created InnoCaption Connect — a new service designed to help deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals make phone calls with confidence, just like their hearing peers. It also simplifies the process for correctional facilities to meet FCC requirements with minimal administrative burden.
According to Dr. Kevin Liebe, a clinical audiologist who has worked with correctional facilities, individuals with hearing loss face significant obstacles in obtaining hearing healthcare.
A lengthy approval process can result in an individual waiting 3–6 months to receive a hearing aid. Maintenance and repair pose further challenges, as medical teams control the process, and repairs may be delayed unless individuals advocate for themselves. Plus, individuals transferred between facilities often experience gaps in care due to inconsistent policies.
When it comes to maintaining communication with the outside world, individuals with hearing loss face even greater barriers — because in facilities across the country, access to telecommunications remains inconsistent and inadequate.
“Despite the mandates of federal laws and the FCC 2024 order, the vast majority of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who are incarcerated do not have access to accessible telecommunications to call their family and loved ones,” says Howard A. Rosenblum, Esq., Founder and Chair of Deaf Equality. “At the moment, only about 17 state prison systems and the federal prison systems provide some or all telecommunication access, all as a result of legal action.”
The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that approximately 9.5% of state and federal prisoners already report hearing loss.¹ With an aging prison population — 16% of individuals are age 55 or older² — that number is expected to rise. And as hearing loss becomes more common, the gaps in telecommunications access for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who are incarcerated will only become more urgent.
Correctional facilities need a solution they can implement right away.
InnoCaption, an FCC-certified provider of real-time captioning of phone calls for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, has successfully launched InnoCaption Connect — an innovative service designed to expand telecommunications access for incarcerated individuals with hearing loss. The program was officially launched after months of close collaboration between InnoCaption and multiple telecommunication provider partners, who participated in successful pilot tests demonstrating secure access to communication services.
InnoCaption Connect enables correctional facilities to provide individuals with real-time captions of phone calls through direct integration with InnoCaption’s captioning technology. Telecommunication providers can deploy the service via their own captioned telephone mobile apps on Android tablets or through a customized Android app provided by InnoCaption.
By delivering real-time, high-quality captions on a tablet device, InnoCaption Connect ensures that individuals can fully understand their phone conversations. Captions are fast and accurate, powered by AI-driven speech recognition. Strict oversight and security are built into the platform—calls are tracked and monitored by correctional facilities under the same restrictions that apply to other inmate phone calls.
As an FCC-certified provider of relay services since 2016, InnoCaption Connect meets all compliance standards required for correctional institutions. This accessible telecommunications service is a scalable, effective solution that addresses both regulatory requirements and the communication needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing incarcerated individuals. The service has already been implemented in county jails and state Department of Corrections facilities across ten states.
By implementing InnoCaption Connect, correctional facilities can adopt a practical, effective, and immediate solution to address long-standing telecommunications barriers. This advancement not only ensures compliance with federal law — it also promotes a more equitable and humane correctional environment.
“Everyone should have the basic right of accessible telecommunication to stay connected with loved ones for their mental health, rehabilitation, and dignity,” says Barbara Kelley, Executive Director of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA).
With InnoCaption Connect, that right is one step closer to reality.
¹ Maruschak L, Bronson J, Alper M. Survey of Prison Inmates, 2016: Disabilities Reported by Prisoners. Bureau of Justice Statistics. March 2021. NCJ 252642.
² Bureau of Justice Statistics. Age of Prisoners in State and Federal Facilities, 2023. CSAT - Frequently Requested Charts.
InnoCaption provides real-time captioning technology making phone calls easy and accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing community. Offered at no cost to individuals with hearing loss because we are certified by the FCC. InnoCaption is the only mobile app that offers real-time captioning of phone calls through live stenographers and automated speech recognition software. The choice is yours.
InnoCaption proporciona tecnología de subtitulado en tiempo real que hace que las llamadas telefónicas sean fáciles y accesibles para la comunidad de personas sordas y con problemas de audición. Se ofrece sin coste alguno para las personas con pérdida auditiva porque estamos certificados por la FCC. InnoCaption es la única aplicación móvil que ofrece subtitulación en tiempo real de llamadas telefónicas mediante taquígrafos en directo y software de reconocimiento automático del habla. Usted elige.
