MA jail/prison contracts/MOUs with JPay/Securus Technologies (Essex County Sheriff)

Beryl Lipton filed this request with the Essex County Sheriff of Essex County, MA.
Submitted Sept. 24, 2015
Est. Completion None
Status
Payment Required

Communications

From: Beryl Lipton

Subject: None

Email

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L. c.66, §10, I hereby request the following records:

All contracts (and their amendments) and memorandums of understanding entered into by this agency or any facility under its jurisdiction for all services, equipment, and activities involving/provided by/contracted for with JPay or its parent company Securus Technologies. Responsive materials should include but not be limited to:

• the initial Invitation to Bid, Request for Proposal, or equivalent call for contractors
• the responsive materials provided by the winning bidder
• all other vendor responses
• all evaluation material, scorecards, reports, and notes generated in the selection process
• the current contract
• all exhibits
• all amendments
• all commission reports for services utilized through JPay or Securus, containing all segregable data, including but not limited to commissions differentiated by service type, timeframe, etc.
• all related invoices related to installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment or services

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 calendar days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Beryl Lipton

From: Moe Pratt

Subject: RE: Public Records Law Request: MA jail/prison contracts/MOUs with JPay/Securus Technologies (Essex County Sheriff)

Email

October 13, 2015
Beryl Lipton
MuckRock
DEPT MR 21504
P.O. Box 55819
Boston, MA 02205-5819

Dear Mr. Lipton:

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of and in response to your email to me, addressed to the Essex County Sheriff, dated September 24, 2015. I serve as the Director of Communications at the Essex County Sheriff’s Department.

As you know, you requested among other things, any contracts, amendments and memorandum of understanding between the Department and JPay, or its parent company, Securus Technologies. Without waiving any rights, objections, or defenses, including as to the scope and breadth of your request, as well as those exemptions expressly set forth in G.L. c. 4, S. 7, all of which are expressly reserved in full herein, the Department responds as follows. Pursuant to statute, the Department charges $.25 per page for copying fees. Moreover, the Department is permitted by statute to charge for both search and segregation time in responding to a public records request. Pursuant to statute and regulation, I have provided you below with the Department’s written, good faith estimate of the minimum cost to be incurred by it in complying with your request:

Search & Segregation Time $54.05 x 2.5 hours = $135.13
(hourly rate of lowest paid employee
capable of performing task)

Cost for Copies $.25 x 314 pages =$78.50

Total Cost $213.63

Upon receipt of a check in the amount of $213.63 payable to the “Essex County Sheriff’s Department,” the Department will begin to search for responsive records and process your request. In the event this amount exceeds the cost of the search and compilation of records, you will be refunded accordingly and likewise, in the event the search and compilation exceeds this amount, you will be charged accordingly.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Very truly yours,

_______________________________
Maurice Pratt

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