Using ICE detainees in Georgia to uncover the engineered detention environment through video calling

⚙️ Technical summary of using video software to reveal the conditions of ICE detainees in Georgia

Four detainees in a detention center run by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in rural Georgia used the video-calling software available inside the facility to expose the true conditions of confinement. The video showed a deliberately broken legal system, along with technological and environmental infrastructure marked by weakness and high costs borne by the detainees. The follow-up revealed software, technical, and social details related to detention communications software and its pricing, which benefits private companies that make large profits from these facilities.

In this article, we will address the engineering aspects related to the communications infrastructure in detention centers, and discuss how technology helped uncover multiple problems, with an analysis of innovation aspects, the technologies used, and the challenges these facilities face.

🏗️ The engineering design and infrastructure of detention centers

The Folkston ICE Processing Center in Georgia was formerly a prison facility, which means that its engineering design, containing components such as detention rooms, intake units, and the surveillance system, was set up to serve prison facilities rather than civil detention centers. This overall structure reflects the civil-mechanical dimension of the infrastructure.

The current structure contains a limited number of technologically available devices for communicating with the outside world, as only 3 to 4 tablets are provided for each “pod” housing between 60 and 70 detainees. This distribution imposes engineering constraints on detainees’ ability to use communication systems properly.

🔌 The communications system at the Folkston detention center

Communication between detainees and the outside world is organized through a proprietary video-chat program known as GettingOut, a program owned by Telmate, which specializes in prison communications. The company relies on an internal communications network infrastructure that allows detainees to make video and voice calls, in addition to sending messages and exchanging limited photos.

The system uses low-resolution tablets, which results in weak and limited image quality, creating challenges in image engineering and data transmission. These challenges stem from the system’s economics, which center on minimizing costs as much as possible, affecting technical performance quality.

🔧 Technical challenges in the communications system and the economic cost

The GettingOut system confines detainees within a technical environment governed by high prices for communication services, ranging from 18 cents to 1.10 dollars per minute, which prompted government interventions to regulate pricing through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In 2024, the ceiling for call rates was set between 11 and 25 cents per minute depending on the size of the facility.

However, in 2025, this cap was raised by as much as 83%, increasing the financial burden on detainees and weighing heavily on the economic structure of the technical system in detention centers, and confirming the engineering role in designing communications systems that combine technical functions with economic constraints.

Another aspect of technical engineering appears in data protection, as user data for the program was breached in 2020, requiring Telmate to pay $4.23 million in compensation. This represents computer engineering challenges related to systems security and electronic infrastructure.

🌐 Administrative aspects and innovation in operating the facility

The GEO Group, a publicly traded company listed on the U.S. stock market, operates Folkston, having been contracted for amounts exceeding 165 million dollars during the year, amid a guaranteed minimum occupancy level for the facility reaching 544 out of a maximum of 780 detainees.

This economic system directly affects the design and operation of the detention facility, as the company seeks to generate profits within an engineering environment that requires maintaining operational properties such as power and air-conditioning systems, managing the mechanical distribution of the structure, and providing logistical requirements.

🏭 Energy and operations engineering in the detention center

The infrastructure of detention centers such as Folkston depends on integrated energy-management systems, including cooling and air-conditioning systems and continuous electrical operation, to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of surveillance systems, the communications system, and food and sanitation services provided as part of the detainees’ work program.

Providing sustainable energy is an engineering challenge in these facilities, especially with rising occupancy rates and operating cost limits imposed through government contracts.

🔍 Engineering analysis of living conditions and communication in detention facilities

The detainees explain via video that the economy tied to the work system inside the facility pushes individuals to work for a meager wage of one U.S. dollar per day, limiting their ability to use the restricted communication services because of the high call costs.

This reflects what is known as Human Engineering, where designing systems and infrastructure is not enough; their impact on users must also be taken into account. The accumulation of mechanical and economic pressures negatively affects the users’ experience.

🍽️ Engineering of support services and their effect on health

Reports indicate poor food conditions and contaminated water in the center, with these factors contributing to diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure among detainees. These conditions call for a precise engineering study of water-recycling systems, food quality, and sanitation-facility engineering.

🎯 Conclusion and future engineering prospects

The case of using GettingOut at the Folkston center to expose detainee conditions reflects many engineering and technical challenges related to communications infrastructure and the operational environment of detention centers. These challenges include:

• A limited and constrained communications-device design that imposes restrictions on information transfer.
• High technical service costs that affect detainees’ living conditions and ability to communicate.
• Deficiencies in service infrastructure systems that lead to health and environmental problems.
• The need for extensive cybersecurity to preserve information confidentiality and protect it from breaches.
• Challenges in energy and operations engineering within a punitive operating environment.

These problems highlight the importance of sustainable engineering development in detention centers, in terms of improving communications systems and providing a more humane and healthier living environment, while ensuring economic and technical efficiency.

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