Securus Technologies

Securus Technologies is a technology communications firm serving prisons across the United States. The company has faced criticism over phone call pricing, data security, monopoly and product innovation.

Securus was founded as TZ Holdings Inc. in 1986 in Dallas, Texas. In April 2009, the company changed its name from TZ Holdings Inc. to Securus Technologies. During the 2010s, Securus was one of a number of companies which provided telephone service to inmates in US prisons. In 2013, Securus was partially acquired by ABRY Partners from Castle Harlan for $640 million. In July 2015, the company was the target of a data breach of about 70 million records of phone calls. Also in 2015, Securus Technologies acquired JPay, a technology company that provided electronic payment, communication, and media services in more than 33 state prison systems. By 2016, Securus acquired 20 government services, software-based businesses, technologies, patents and exclusive partner agreements.

In 2017, the company was acquired by Beverly Hills-based private equity firm Platinum Equity, owned by billionaire Tom Gores. In 2019, Platinum Equity announced plans to reorganize the company as a more diverse technology company, and created Aventiv Technologies as Securus' new corporate parent.

In mid-January 2020, Aventiv Technologies named Dave Abel as its president and CEO. Abel committed to reform corporate policies and practices, acknowledging the company "faced criticism in the past over pricing, data security, product innovation and other issues."

In April 2025, Aventiv Technologies announced an agreement between Platinum Equity and financial stakeholders to invest $360 million in exchange for equity in the company.

Securus is headquartered in Dallas, Texas with regional offices located in Carrollton, Texas, Miramar, Missouri, and Houston, Texas. As of 2015, the company employed approximately 1,600 people and was reported to have contracts with 2,600 correctional facilities in the United States.

By the end of 2021, Aventiv Technologies deployed over 400,000 tablet devices to incarcerated individuals including 100,000 tablets that Securus Technologies made available to incarcerated individuals in Texas for free, with additional content expected to cover the costs.

Prices for calls vary greatly among institutions, with first-minute charges from over US$5 to 4 cents, and from over US$1 to 4 cents for subsequent minutes. Prices of out-of-state calls were capped by the FCC to around 21 cents per minute; however, instate rates at many jails and prisons continue to be much higher. On December 8, 2021, Aventiv Technologies announced that the average per minute cost of calls made by incarcerated individuals with Aventiv technology was reduced from $0.15 per minute to a record-low $0.13 per minute.