FCC Halts Exorbitant Prison Phone Charges
How many of us talk on the phone to a family member almost every day? The telephone for us is a convenience, but for an inmate, it's a lifeline. Recently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to implement new regulations aimed at stopping price gouging inmates on phone and video calling services in prisons and jails.
Communication between an inmate and his or her family is proven to cut recidivism and improve outcomes for those who are incarcerated. But for decades, the cost to call home has been out of reach for many. Some prisons have charged as much as $1 a minute. A normal family phone call could easily be $30. So, those important calls with loved ones didn’t happen. At the same time, the inflated rates and fees collected from prisoners and their families, created a $1 billion-plus market for telecom firms.
It’s important to remember that a large percentage of inmates read and write below a 4th grade level. Pouring their hearts out in a letter, or explaining a personal issue in writing is all but impossible for many. And, in-person visits most often require a vehicle and travel to a prison an hour, two hours, or more away. Phone calls for most inmates are the only way to connect with their loved ones.
Says prisonlegalnews.com, "Telecom firms that specialize in prison and jail phone services are well aware of this fact and have exploited it with a commission-based business model that kicks back as much as 40% of the income on inmate calling to the prison system." In fact, in one year, Indiana received $1,696,978 in kickbacks from the phone calls of those who are incarcerated here, and was listed near the bottom–#47 of the 50 states for having some of the highest inmate calling costs in the nation. At this date, we have had no response to our requests from Indiana Department Of Corrections for more or updated information on the cost of inmate calling, and we can only hope these practices have changed.
Meanwhile, in advance of the new FCC regulations, some states have reduced costs considerably, and at least three states have made inmate calls free of charge because they know that family phone calls have been shown to reduce recidivism, and studies show that those who talked with family on a consistent and frequent basis had the lowest odds of returning to prison as much as five years after release.
Once the final FCC decision comes down, many think the cost will be low enough to enable an inmate to talk to his or her family for as long they need to...time enough to relate, share deep thoughts, and talk to all the kids too. An in-tact family connection is the first step to making a successful reentry. For everyone’s sake, we need to help keep that connection strong.
Nancy
