Help connect families with incarcerated loved ones in your state

Prison telecom corporations charge families with incarcerated loved ones as exorbitant rates for simple communication services. Preying on these families, the prison telecom industry rakes in $1.4 billion annually and pays hundreds of millions in kickbacks, also called commissions, to correctional agencies.

As a result, one in three families with an incarcerated loved one falls into debt trying to stay connected, and of those carrying this burden, 87% are women — largely Black and brown women. Families should not have choose between paying rent or paying for calls with their loved ones behind bars. 

The COVID-19 pandemic only made things worse. Like everyone else, families with incarcerated loved ones faced job losses and the unexpected costs of eldercare and childcare. It exacerbated a crisis that incarcerated people and their families have been living with for decades. 

This exploitation is not just separating families, including children from their parents, but negatively impacting correctional staff and public safety. Incarcerated people who are in contact with their community supports are more likely to have hope, participate in rehabilitative programs, and engage in positive behaviors while inside, and to reenter successfully upon release with housing and employment.

The good news is that states and counties are beginning to implement policies to make prison and jail communication free. California, Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota as well as Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, and others have all passed laws to make communication free. There are a dozen other states considering legislation to do the same, and more are joining that list every week.

Tell your state elected officials to protect families and promote public safety by making prison and jail communication in your state free.