Topping the list of complaints that many prisoners have is not the snoring of their cellmates or the quality of the food, but the difficulty and expense of making telephone calls.
Cell phones are forbidden—and rightly so—and most prisoners have only a few hours a day to use prison payphones. These phones are limited in number and often broken, and the lines to use them can get very long. The charges are high, too. Whereas you and I can make a collect call for 10 cents a minute, many prisons charge inmate families 10 times that—a huge financial burden on those who can least afford it.
Gouging the Poorest of the Poor
Staying in touch through telephone calls is essential for prisoners trying to maintain relationships with family members. Because strong relationships with their families considerably improves offenders’ prospects for a successful return, prison telephone policies reach beyond those directly involved with the criminal justice system to affect entire communities.
The practice stems from state prisons contracting with a single phone company, allowing that company to charge for services at rates far above the market price, and then receiving substantial commissions from the company revenues as a kickback.
Some states use a debit system for prisoners to buy phone minutes, but collect call systems are the norm. This means that many offenders’ families must bear the financial burden of calls at rates that are often more than they can afford. The result is a highly selective tax that punishes the poor.
This practice is not only outrageous, but cruel.
Vital Connections
The support and accountability that a stable family provides have a clear and positive impact. Research shows that when returning inmates have a supportive family, they are more likely to find a job and less likely to use drugs and get involved in criminal activities.
Studies also show that children of inmates who stay in contact with their parents have increased cognitive skills, improved academic self-esteem and greater self control, and change schools much less often.
You would think, then, that prisons would do all they can to strengthen these relationships. It seems obvious that prison officials would want to make supportive and connected families a top priority. Unfortunately, many don’t. And that is bad for everyone: the prisoner, the family, and the community.
In fact, many prisons seem intent on implementing distinctly unfriendly family policies, of which the telephone policy is a prime example.
Take into account the following hurdles families of inmates have to overcome, just to maintain minimum contact:
- Most inmates are imprisoned hundreds of miles from their homes without public transportation available for visits from families.
- Many prisons prohibit relatives other than the custodial parent from bringing children to visit. The caregiver, who often works two jobs to support the family, must find the time to make the trip.
- Many prisons have no visiting hours in the evenings or on weekends, eliminating visits for working spouses and parents.
- Most prisons limit prisoners to collect calls, charging exorbitant rates to their families, who are among our country’s poorest residents. Families are prohibited from using discount cards that allow the rest of us to make calls for less than 10 cents a minute.
If we want to reduce recidivism and ensure that ex-offenders return to a productive, law-abiding life, such a family-unfriendly policy must change.
Making the Right Call
Our communities have a huge stake in the successful reentry of inmates. Over 700,000 will be released from prison this year, and some will be our neighbors.
The policies of every state prison system are different, as are the policies of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Although some systems provide fair telephone rates, the majority do not, and the result is the destruction of many incarcerated families.
For instance, New York once used inmate phones as a profit center. MCI, which provided the phone service, paid the prison system 57.5 percent of the fees it charged for prisoners’ collect calls. The state then allowed MCI to charge outrageously high rates: 16 cents or more a minute plus a $3 surcharge for every call. Families paid as much as $300 to $400 a month, according to one advocacy group.
In 2007, the legislature later made it illegal for the Department of Correctional Services to accept revenue in excess of its reasonable costs for operating an inmate phone system. New York no longer receives a percentage, and prison phone rates have dropped to 15 cents per minute.
Keep the Lines Open
Because there is so much at stake, unjust prison telephone policies must be repealed. State legislatures need to pass laws prohibiting prisons from receiving commissions from phone company revenues on prison calls. Legislation should also require companies to charge rates for prison calls that are comparable to rates outside of prison. In order to lower prices further, states should request competitive bids from companies and contract with those offering the lowest charges.
Adopting such reforms will facilitate more communication between incarcerated men and women and their families, enabling them to draw from the encouragement and accountability that these relationships provide. Promoting strong relationships will protect the well-being of our communities.
You can help by contacting your legislators and asking them to review your state’s policy regarding telephones in prisons. If that policy undercuts inmate families, ask them to work with you for change. I hope you will use the resources on our website and those listed below to inform your legislators about these issues and to stay informed yourself. Please contact the Federal Communications Commission about their Inmate Telephone Service and ask them to cap prices for inmate-only phones.
You can help to make sure that prisoners can afford to stay in touch with the ones who love them and will one day welcome them back home.
It’s your call.
