BALTIMORE, MD – On Wednesday, Maryland advocacy organizations and Worth Rises, crowded the Maryland Public Service Commission's meeting to demand a ruling on pending petitions related to Securus Technologies’ ownership transfer, deny the deal as against the public interest, and hold the corporation accountable for closing the deal without its decision.
"Securus has boldly dismissed the authority of the Maryland Public Service Commission. It requested for an expedited ruling, was told ‘no,’ and closed its deal anyway,” said Celina Chapin, Chief Advocacy Officer of Worth Rises. “The families who have to pay Securus to stay in touch with their incarcerated loved ones are a captive market with nowhere else to go. They deserve regulators who will exercise their full authority to protect them. We’re glad that the Commission did the right thing and has agreed to a rehearing on the matter.”
Advocates attended the hearing to call on the Commission to grant a rehearing and find that the transfer is not in the public interest. The Commission noted their presence, saying it was “very unusual” for a group of advocates to attend a meeting without a corresponding agenda item. The Commission indicated it would schedule a formal rehearing so all parties could be heard.
“As parents of a man recently incarcerated, we can attest first-hand to the outrageous price gouging and abysmal “service” provided by Securus,” said Penni Barnett, a local advocate who attended the hearing with her husband. “Someone needs to keep an eye on them and hold them accountable.”
Securus provides phone and video services to people incarcerated in Maryland and their families, who cannot choose their provider and depend on regulators for protection. Advocates have repeatedly challenged the corporation for its exploitative practices and for resisting regulation. In 2025, its parent corporation, Aventiv Technologies, agreed to transfer control of Securus to a group of distressed-debt creditors, commonly referred to as “vulture investors,” after defaulting on $1.6 billion in debt. Advocates warned that the new owners would be focused on recovering their investment and have every incentive to squeeze more money out of incarcerated people and their families, who have no choice of provider.
Securus sought approval for the ownership transfer from the Commission. Last fall, the Commission chose to note the transaction, claiming it lacked the authority to review the transfer. The Maryland Office of the People’s Counsel and Worth Rises filed petitions for reconsideration and rehearing in January 2026, arguing that Maryland law requires the Commission to make an active decision that includes a determination on whether the deal is in the public interest. Securus requested an expedited review of the petitions because its transaction depended on a resolution, but the Commission declined. Securus, nevertheless, closed the transaction on July 2, 2026, without a final ruling. Just a month later, Aventiv announced a new CEO and a newly-formed board of directors. During the proceeding, in defense of the transfer, Securus had told the Commission its leadership would not change.
In August, Worth Rises asked the Commission to take the unapproved deal closing and the new corporate leadership into account before ruling. Worth Rises also asked the Commission to order Securus to disclose what it has told other states' regulators about whether its transfer has been approved. The petitions remain pending and need resolution.
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Worth Rises is a national non-profit organization working to dismantle the prison industry and end the exploitation of incarcerated people and their loved ones. We envision a society in which no entity or individual relies on human caging or control for their wealth, operation, or livelihood.