In August 2023, Massachusetts passed precedent legislation to make all prison and jail communication free, including phone calls, video calls, and electronic messages. It is the fifth state to make prison calls free, the second to make all prison communication free, and the first to extend the same policy over all local jails. The policy goes into effect in December 2023 with unlimited calling and will save Massachusetts families over $25 million annually. Read more.

Contact: No Cost Calls / Keep Families Connected Coalition, African American Coalition Committee (AACC) at MCI-Norfolk, Prisoner Legal Services - Massachusetts, Greater Boston Legal Services, National Consumer Law Center, Worth Rises, Coalition for Social Justice, Color of Change, Families of Justice as Healing, Progressive Mass, Justice 4 Housing, Black and Pink Massachusetts

In May 2023, Minnesota passed legislation to make all prison calls free, making it the fourth state to do so. The legislation was implemented quickly in July 2023 and is expected to save families $4.5 million annually. Read more.

Contact: Worth Rises, National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota, REPOWERED, Minnesota Freedom Fund

In May 2023, Colorado passed legislation to make all prison calls free, making it the third state to do so. The legislation has a three-year graduated implementation timeline, requiring the state to cover 25% of communication costs starting September 2023, 35% of costs starting July 2024, and 100% by July 2025. When fully implemented, the legislation will save families more than $9 million annually. Read more.

Contact: Worth Rises, ProgressNow Colorado, Second Chance Center, Stand For Children Colorado, Elephant Circle

In May 2021, encouraged by families and advocates, Supervisor Hilda Solis introduced a motion to provide free phone calls in LA County jails, the nation’s largest jail system. The Board went on to pass the motion in a unanimous 5-0 vote, shifting responsibility to the county’s Chief Executive Officer to develop an implementation plan. Unfortunately, little was done. In July 2023, Supervisor Solis brought a similar motion with clearer language that was once again passed, requiring free jail calls by December 2023.

Contact: Let’s Get Free LA, Justice LA, Anti Recidivism Coalition, Youth Justice Coalition, Young Women’s Freedom Center, ACLU of Southern California, Children’s Defense Fund California, Homeboy Industries

In December 2022, Congress passed the Martha Wright Reed Just and Reasonable Communication Act to confirm the FCC’s regulatory authority over all prison and jail calls and grant authority over video calls for the first time. For decades, advocates like the late Martha Wright Reed, who struggled to communicate with her grandson during his incarceration, pushed the FCC to regulate prison and jail telecom, but courts restricted its regulatory authority to just long distance calls, which make up only 20 percent of all prison and jail calls. This legislation will bring meaningful relief to families across the country, particularly those with loved ones in county jails. Read more.

Contact: OC UCC, Worth Rises, Color of Change, Free Press, National Consumer Law Center, CURE National, Public Knowledge

In September 2022, California passed legislation to make all prison calls free, making it the second state to do so. The legislation was quickly implemented in January 2023 with unlimited calling and will save California families over $33 million annually. Read more.

Contact: San Francisco Financial Justice Project, Western Center on Law & Poverty, Worth Rises, Young Women’s Freedom Center, Essie Justice Group, Jesse’s Place, Berkeley Law Policy Advocacy Clinic

In April 2022, Miami-Dade County voted 9-2 to make jail communication free after more than a year of organizing, advocacy, and negotiations. Miami residents appeared in droves to testify about their experiences with the county’s extortionary jail communication services. This legislation will save Miami families an estimated $6.8 million every year! Read more.

Contact: Beyond the Bars Miami, Worth Rises

In June 2021, Connecticut passed legislation making it the first state to make all prison communication free! Thanks to years of advocacy, the bipartisan bill covers all prison communication services, affords every incarcerated person 90 minutes of call time per day, and protects visits from replacement by technology. The legislation went into effect on July 2022 and saves families over $14 million annually! Read more.

Contact: Worth Rises, Connecticut Bail Fund, Voices of Women of Color

In March 2021, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer introduced a motion to make all jail communication free. Hundreds of community members submitted supportive comments and the Board passed the policy in 5-0 unanimous and bipartisan vote. The new policy went into effect in July 2021, saving families roughly $4 million every year.

Contact: Invest in San Diego Families Coalition, Pillars of the Community, Center on Policy Initiatives, and the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties.

The CARES stimulus bill made all phone and video calls free in federal prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to advocacy pressure, people in federal prison received 500 minutes of free phone and video calls for roughly two years. We continue to fight to make prison communication free in the federal system permanently.

Contact: Worth Rises, MediaJustice, UCC, FAMM, National Consumer Lawyer’s Committee, We Got Us Now

In June 2019, after months of advocacy, Mayor London Breed announced that San Francisco would make jail phone calls free! The new policy was codified in law shortly after and went into effect in August 2020, resulting in more than $1 million in savings for families every year.

Contact: Financial Justice Project at the San Francisco Treasurer’s Office, Young Women’s Freedom Center, Worth Rises

In July 2018, advocates successfully passed legislation to make all calls free from NYC jails! The law went into effect in May 2019, saving communities $10 million annually and opening lines of communication for thousands.

Contact: Worth Rises, Brooklyn Defender Services, Color Of Change, Zero Profits NYC