Pamela—
When incarcerated people maintain connections with loved ones, our communities are safer. Yet the high cost of phone and video calls means that more than one in three families with an incarcerated family member report going into debt to stay connected.
But Pamela, that's changing. After decades of advocacy by incarcerated people and their loved ones, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has finally curbed predatory rates for phone and video calls in prisons and jails.
It's estimated that the new rates will impact 1.4 million incarcerated people and save impacted families at least $500 million annually.
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The new regulations are a cause for celebration, but the work to end predatory communications practices must continue. Private companies have found new ways to raise prices for incarcerated people, from costly e-messaging fees to digitized mail.
Having a support system helps people succeed both while in prison and once released. Benefits include better mental health, reduced odds of returning to prison, and an increased likelihood of securing employment and housing after release.
Pamela, price gouging in jails and prisons costs us all. For-profit companies impose these charges not because they have to, but because they can. |
The FCC's new limits on phone and video rates show that change is possible, but we can't stop fighting until we end the exploitation of incarcerated people and their families.
In solidarity,
Vera Institute of Justice |
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