Connecticut Becomes First State to Provide Free Calls from Prison [as opposed to cell phone usage in the Bigger (free range) Prison]

From [HERE] Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill on Wednesday that makes phone calls from prisons free for incarcerated people and their loved ones. Connecticut is the first state to do so.

Senate Bill 972 makes all communication in state prisons and youth detention facilities free, prohibits the state from collecting revenue from communication services, and ensures that in-person visits will not be replaced with video calls.

The bill passed the Connecticut legislature with bipartisan support on June 3.

“Connecticut has now set an example for the rest of the country, and we’re on the right side of history,” said State Rep. Josh Elliott, who sponsored the legislation. “Corporations can no longer be allowed to exploit the love between incarcerated people and their families—not in our state, not on our watch.”

For years, private phone companies have charged exorbitant rates to families of incarcerated people for talking to their loved ones in prison. Rates are set by contracts between these companies and state and local governments, who often receive “commissions” or kickbacks for each jail or prison. As a result, family members in some states are paying exorbitant rates for in-state calls.

Connecticut families were paying nearly $5 for a 15-minute phone call through a prepaid account—among the highest rates in the country, NPR reports.

And the state was making a 68% commission on in-state calls—more than $7 million in 2019—through its contract with Securus Technologies, one of the nation’s largest prison phone providers.

Researchers have outlined long-term benefits to maintaining contact with family during incarceration. Staying connected reduces the likelihood that those released will reoffend and is correlated with lower drug use and higher rates of employment after release.