Prisoners make one of their six daily allotted phone calls at the York Community Reintegration Center.
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John Moore / Getty Images
Prisoners make one of their six daily allotted phone calls at the York Community Reintegration Center.
John Moore / Getty Images
The bill to limit the cost of calling behind bars is being sent to President Biden’s desk for his signature.
The Martha Wright-Reed Fair and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022, passed by Congress last month, is a major victory for the Federal Communications Commission in its years-long battle to limit fees Private companies charge a fee to call detainees.
In a statement, FCC commissioner Geoffrey Starks called the newly passed legislation a “victory for fairness.”
“Prisons and prisons have charged predatory rates on people who are held for too long,” said Starks. “The FCC is ready to ensure that everyone has the ability to communicate.”
Although rates vary by state, calls from prison cost an average of $5 for a 30-minute phone call. Those fees can be set a serious financial burden about detainees and their loved ones who want to maintain regular contact, this research to show that can reduce recidivism. The bill itself is named after Martha Wright, a retired nurse who became an advocate for prison reform after finding it expensive to stay in touch with her nephew.
Two main factors contribute to expensive calling fees
One reason for the high rates is that prisons and detention centers often sign exclusive contracts with a telecommunications company. That means detainees and their families are stuck with one provider even if the company charges high fees.
Another factor is the location commission, or kickback, received by the county sheriff or state department of corrections. Some local officials argue that site commissions are crucial to funding staff, who will monitor inmates’ phone calls for any threats to the community.
Prison reform advocates and federal regulators have scrutinized both contributing factors. Today, states like New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island have outlawed site commissions while California and Connecticut make free prison calls.
This bill could overhaul the prison phone industry
The FCC has the authority to regulate call costs between states, but not within state borders, what FCC chairman Jessica Rosenworcel has described as a “harmful loophole”.
Back in 2015, the FCC voted for cap charges for in-state prison phone calls. But two years later, a federal court struck down those regulations, arguing that the FCC had no such authority.
This law could eventually change that, giving federal regulators the control to settle rates in the state and ensure “fair and reasonable” fees.
rose told by NPR Weekend version that “fair and reasonable” is not an abstraction, but a legal term that the FCC has used since Communications Act of 1934.
“That means those rates are fair and non-discriminatory,” she said in October. “No matter who you are or where you live in this country, no matter if you’re incarcerated. hold or not, you’ll be charged the same amount for some basic phone calls.”
