 This last bit is worth emphasizing. Because prisons and jails often get a cut of that revenue, they don't have much incentive to negotiate for lower prices. One more important piece of the prison call puzzle is the role of private equity. Over the last couple of decades, Bianca says private equity firms have invested in the industry. The resulting consolidation means there are now two companies dominating the prison telecom industry. They're called Securus and Viapath.