Prison officials argue that these funds are necessary to provide prisoners with much needed services including recreational facilities, books for prison libraries, and AIDS prevention programs. There is no argument that these services are important. Those of us with loved ones in prison are already paying for their support through our state and federal taxes. If the prison deems these services necessary, the cost should be shared by society at large, not through a hidden tax in the guise of a phone bill levied on a population that is least able to afford it.
Efforts are under way to revise prison phone billing systems. In October of 2001, relatives of inmates housed in Oklahoma DOC prisons filed a class action lawsuit against T Netix, AT&T, Evercom, and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. They filed claims in anti-trust, under due process and equal protection. The case was dismissed in 2002.
In 2006, Representative Bobby Rush, Democrat of Illinois, sponsored a bill that would completely overhaul prison phone systems. Most notably, the bill would do away with the commissions paid to prisons, would require prisons to use both collect-call and debit-calling systems, and would require each prison system to allow more than one phone company to enter the market. Opposition to the Rush bill is fierce. It will amount to a Herculean task to get this bill past the huge Telecommunications and Prison lobbies.
It is unlikely that any real reform of prison phone systems will take place in the near future. There is simply too much money to be made in that market. American Capital, a heavy investor in T Netix, gives a vivid illustration of their growth potential in a 2004 press release. It reads, “In 2002, more that 2 million inmates were incarcerated in 4,000 correctional facilities in the U.S. In recent years, the inmate population has been growing between 2% and 6% annually and analysts estimate that a similar growth rate is probable for the foreseeable future. Prisoners are served by some 200,00 phone lines linked to correctional facilities, and the retail market for correctional facility telecommunications is an estimated $2.2 billion.”
Article comments
1 - katy
Its interesting to read this article and see that the antitrust law was dissmissed in 2002, because i cant think of a more anti-trust-like situation. They are punishing peoples families for the mistakes of the prisoners in what seems like a unreasonable charge to make money. They say this money is going to the prisoners for books and such, but again like it stated, why wouldnt this be included in the taxes we pay as a society.
Id be interested to see what happens when they let another company come in.
2 - Che
My brother is in prison and my mother is disabled, seriously ill, and on Social Security. The phone bills are exhorbitant, yet my brother needs to call frequently to check on my mother's health.
You're all too correct when you state that the families of inmates are punished. Excellent article.
3 - Jon Sobel
It's hard to think of a more unfair - and petty! - abuse of poor families so corporations can make a buck. Thanks for spreading the word on this.
4 - pixel
I totally agree the system is corrupt and unreasonable. A dear friend was just detained for 2 weeks (kept there longer than necessary because of a clerical error) and in the end his friends, family and myself have paid more in phone bill fees than he will have to pay in fines. It will be a small Christmas for all of us because there isn't much left in the piggy bank for presents. Several times we had problems with a bad phone line--for the price of what it would cost to talk to someone in Iceland, it would've been nice to have a decent connection. I would love to see this reformed.
5 - Douglas Mays
Oh yeah, thats where they getcha....the phone thing. Costly. Kinda like when hotels would charge a line use fee for local calls. I remember being in a hotel on 47th and calling a friend who live on 34th (Manhatten). The conversation cost me $12. That now has been outlawed I think....
Anyway, the phone company and various institutions can create added expenses for the unsuspecting customer...
best,
DM
6 - bob
you all need to get over it. These people were incarcerated for committing a crime. Prison should not be a luxury stay. Punishment should be first and foremost, maybe if this happened there wouldn't be so many repeat offenders and more people unwilling to break the law.
7 - Michael
I cannot deny that this is hard for the families of incarcerated individuals. Those of you that think this is such a tragedy cannot deny that in today's liberal society, prison has become more of a vacation spot. Convicts sit in my office almost daily and tell me that it's all right being locked down because they get to hang out with thier homies all day, play games, are given food three times a day, a roof, clothing, bedding, medical treatment, many get new tattoo's at a fraction of the cost, have no bills or vehicle repair costs etc. and more importantly....make new connections and get more advice on how to be a better criminal! I have a hard time feeling bad for someone who has made the choice to be here! I have the same troubles and worries in society as everyone else, and you know what keeps me from selling dope, raping children, robbing stores or stealing someone elses posessions? IT'S WRONG!!!!!! MY FAMILY IS TO IMPORTANT TO ME TO PUT THEM THROUGH THAT! You can make whatever excuses you want, but the bottom line is this, there is such thing as "healthy fear". What keeps us from speeding? The fine. If you dont want the fine, you dont speed.
8 - Dr Dreadful
Michael, you almost seem to be saying that if you didn't have a family you would have no qualms about selling drugs, raping, robbing or stealing. I realize that isn't really what you meant, but it does go some way towards illustrating the weakness of the 'deterrent' argument.
When I drive to work of a morning, I would say that at least 70% of the vehicles on the road with me are traveling above the speed limit. It's safe to say that none of those drivers want to be fined. It's also safe to say that none of those drivers believe that a cop is about to pull them over.
The institution of the prison is going to be an academy for crime no matter how you run it - whether liberally or dictatorially. Prison as punishment clearly does not work as a way of combating crime. Yet we seem reluctant to accept that - out of sight, out of mind, I guess.
Surely it would be a far better use of tax dollars to work on rehabilitation, rather than have the offender promptly go and commit more crimes the moment you let him out of the gate?
9 - Gerry
Question to the folks who are against the Club Fed type prisons: Does the fact that they've committed a crime make it okay to gouge them on phone calls where the profits aren't even defraying their prison costs? As a fan of the Sheriff Joe Arpaio style of prisons, even I have a hard time justifying enriching private corporations at the expense of the working poor.
10 - Michael
Dread (?) You'll note before mentioning my family, I clearly stated "IT'S WRONG!!!!!!". As far as those speeding motorists go, they are taking an acceptable (to them) risk. They are all aware of the possibility, cop behind them or not. I do not agree completely with your comments regarding rehabilitation. I approach aspects of my life aggresively and believe we should concentrate on "HABILITATION". Change the acceptable standard of conduct in society and the results will be evident. It doesnt matter whats done inside a facility if we send them back to the friends, family, neighborhood etc that allowed them to live as they did to begin with.
11 - Dr Dreadful
You'll note before mentioning my family, I clearly stated "IT'S WRONG!!!!!!"
I did note that. It's the reason why most of us don't commit crimes. It was what you wrote after that that raised my eyebrows.
As far as those speeding motorists go, they are taking an acceptable (to them) risk. They are all aware of the possibility, cop behind them or not.
But they still speed. And the man who robs a bank (for instance) is also taking what to him is an acceptable risk. The possibility that he will get caught and go to prison does not deter him.
I approach aspects of my life aggresively and believe we should concentrate on "HABILITATION".
I agree. By far the best way to combat crime is to address the conditions which give rise to it in the first place. But in the event that doesn't succeed, what does one do with the offender? If you prefer that prison be purely a place of punishment, with no attempt to educate the prisoner to lead life without reoffending, fine. But you shouldn't then be surprised that the correctional system (a laughable misnomer if ever there was one) turns out people who when they leave prison are better equipped and more motivated to commit crimes than when they went in.
I see prison as the perfect opportunity to turn a criminal's life around, and it's shameful that for all the money spent on keeping offenders locked up, rehabilitation is at best given lip service and more commonly isn't even attempted.
12 - Michael
Gerry, I also understand your point of view. Unfortuanately for the families of convicts, that is our world. Is it any more right that if you screw up your credit you pay high interest rates? NO! but that is the consequence of screwing up your credit. Dont want the high interest? Dont screw up your credit! Dont want to make your family pay $200 a month to talk to you on the phone? Dont go to prison! Please dont give us the "Nobody wanted to go to prison" crap. They took an acceptable (to them) risk for thier actions. Believe me, most of them are not that tore up about it either. The same convict who complains about the phone cost is also demanding his wife to send him money so he can buy candy bars and soda pop (and pictures of himself to send to his other girlfriends) while she is trying to pay the electric bill. This is a fact, just one that most people dont want to hear.
13 - High Heels
In fairness, if I screw up my credit I don't expect my parents to pay higher interest rates. It would surely be more equitable to severely limit the number of minutes prisoners are allowed to spend on the phone, and the nature of acceptable recipients of such calls. Oops, silly me - that would also severely limit someone's opportunity to profit from the situation.
14 - Michael
High Heels,
Ahh, but they do in one way or another dont they? Well you must have been given that name in prison! What kind of argument is that? Then the article would have been called "Mean guys are responsible for my loved one being in prison for breaking the law against society and now they only let him talk to the family he disrespects for only 10 minutes at a time".....In all fairness, if the inmate cared enough about and respected their own families to stay out of that situation to begin with, it wouldnt be an issue for us to debate and/or dislike the fact that some company was making money providing the phone service.
15 - Angel
I personally pay the price every time my loved one calls me.
The phone company is taking advantage of me and all of the other families, just to make a buck. That money does NOT go into the prison system it is making the company that charges the families filthy rich.
I am sure the wardens are making a nice buck or two off of our money.
As for Michael's commant,"Those of you that think this is such a tragedy cannot deny that in today's liberal society, prison has become more of a vacation spot. Convicts sit in my office almost daily and tell me that it's all right being locked down because they get to hang out with thier homies all day, play games, are given food three times a day, a roof, clothing, bedding, medical treatment, many get new tattoo's at a fraction of the cost, have no bills or vehicle repair costs etc. and more importantly....make new connections and get more advice on how to be a better criminal!"
I find this to be highly unlikely.
I don't know what state he is in, but I know that here, the inmates do not just hang around with their "homies" all day.
And I seriously doubt that the inmates sit in his office and brag about any of this, because inmates stay as far away as possible from the prison officials. Especially the ones who are "proud" of their criminal activities.
16 - longdistancerider
I agree, that we have to pay the price for crimes committed, but its all to easy to lock someone away when many times there are much deeper issues involved. My wife recently was locked up for dui. I don't condone drinking and driving, but her real problem is clinical depression, nevertheless, it's a lot easier for the gov't (and profitable)just to lock one up, rather than offer treatment. I have to pay the price, with these exhorbant phone charges, court costs($1,500), fines ($3000) +lawyer fees. She doesnt even have a job. Who's getting punished? And as a side note, I can't even provide her with any personal items, everything has to be purchased through the jail at outrageous prices. Country club?- I don't think so.
17 - daffene roberson
The only way to help is through the power of Jesus Christ of nazereth. inmates don't sit around doing nothing. I work with a lot of them,most of them work 10 to 12 hrs a day.I think that should help. they have to pay for a doctor.can't eat the food. most is rotten. have to pay for tooth paste and everything
18 - daffene roberson
if they would let them have bible study.would help. GOD is the answer to ever problem