article from a prison paper on the phone thing

[witchlinblue]

Hi, this is an article from a newspaper within Kinross CF that is done by the prisoners; it’s about the phone system and may be of interest to some of you so I will type it all out.

PRISONER PHONE COSTS REMAIN HIGH
By Douglas Burgess (Link Editor)

Reaching out to touch someone has never cost a prisoner's family and friends more than it does now. While phone companies advertisements loudly extol the terrific savings they offer, charges for calls from most of Americas prisons have doubled and tripled.
The controversy of charging more for prisoners’ calls is due to phone carriers like AT&T, MCI and Sprint placing high surcharge and pre-minute rates when offering their services to U.S. corrections systems. These higher costs include the special electronic equipment to monitor prisoner calls to prevent phone scams or other illegal activity, but they are also due to states requiring carriers to give the state a percentage of their revenue from such calls.
The amounts collected by each state differs depending upon percentage collected and the amount of access prisoners are allowed to the phones, but he percentage means millions in every case. For example, New York collects 40%, which meant more than $20 million last year; California’s 43% from Sprint generated $9.5 million. What is done with this percentage money is left up to each state.
Pennsylvania divides its money from prisoner calls between the states general fund and a prisoner welfare and recreation fund, according to Allison Deisite, a DOC spokeswoman. This later fund pays for library books, sporting equipment and guest speakers.
I contrast, Michigan uses some of its funds to pay for housing state prisoners in county jails, the rest goes into the states general fund.
"We're talking about murderers and rapists," said Matt Davis, an MDOC spokesman. "They took from society, and now it's time they gave something back. We give them a warm, dry, safe place to sleep, safer than some of the places they come from, and that costs money. And we're gong to find ways, like this, to get money."
This reasoning is what has prisoner-interest groups like MI-CURE questioning the practice.
"We're not excusing what they did to get into prison. That's not what this is about at all," said Barbara Budinger, a Marquette CURE member. "It's the families who have to pay these surcharges."
The latest rate changes in Michigan nearly doubled the costs for calling both in and out of the state. A single fifteen minute call from KCF to Midland now costs $7.83 while the same call to Chicago is $17.34. This is before any taxes or other fees are added.
Lawsuits and legislative action against the high prisoner rates have been filed in 19 states. Most are still pending, but those decided have had mixed results.
The 9th US Appeals Court in San Francisco ruled that the California DOC "wasn’t required to offer prison inmates payphone calling at the same rates prevailing outside of prison." In this case, it was claimed that the DOC had "extorted excessive phone fees from inmates" based on rate comparisons with the local community and the prison. But the Court was not convinced, stating that "prisoners First Amendment right to telephone access could be limited by prison systems and that inmates weren’t entitled to any specific rate for their phone calls."
Missouri chose to enter into a contract that resulted in savings of 25-40% and plans to add prisoner debit card calling for additional savings after several years of work by state Senator Wayne Goode. Indiana and South Dakota are also in the process of doing the same.
New Mexico appears, from a prisoners point of view, to be the best. Last year a law went into effect that required the state to provide telephone services at the lowest reasonable cost, and all percentages or commissions are prohibited. In-state calls are now $1.75 for the connect charge and either an 18 cent day rate or 13 cent evening and weekend.
In an effort to change the current practice of higher rates for incarcerated calls, CURE wants prisoners to be able to use prepaid calling cards, to call approved toll-free numbers, and in the case of collect calls, no surcharge being applied.
Sources: MI-CURE News, State Telephone Regulation Report, Associate Press article, and Coalition/Prisoners rights.

[Ken]

Hey,

Thanks for this!

[jessy]

awesome information THANK YOU

[deb]

I wanted to let you know that I sent this information to my husband in Muskegon. It's being passed among the guys there. Their inmate newspaper was discontinued for so-called $ reasons.

Deb

[witchlinblue]

Deb, when Im up there this week, I will see if I can get the most recent one, and if not, I will get him to send the whole paper if he can and I will post what I can that would be of interest or at least the article titles and I will type out any that catch your eye. Glad all that typing is going to good use.

[horsegal]

These damn scams, I swear they are so frustrating. I don't understand why we cna't send our loved ones a phone card. You would think these DOC facilities get enough money from us tax payers to fund the books, speakers, etc. :argh

[Nichole]

I agree with you on that one.... It cost me 15 dallors each time David calls me and then its only a 10 minute call and then he has to call me back so my phone bills are really high