Idaho should quit charging for prison calls. This new study shows why | Opinion
When Michael Tineo was first incarcerated, it cost about $9 per phone call from prison. That meant phone calls were rare and short, which put a strain on his family, especially with a 5-month-old daughter at home.
“But I can tell you that when the phone calls became free, it was a weight that was lifted off of (my daughter),” Tineo said Monday during a press briefing for a new multi-year, multi-state study that shows the benefits of eliminating charges for phone calls from prisons and jails. “And for sure, it was a weight that was lifted off of me. I suddenly could call (my daughter) to say, ‘Good morning.’ ”
In addition to providing financial relief, the study found, free communication fosters stronger family bonds, improves mental health and creates safer facility environments by reducing tension.
The study, released Tuesday, was done by Worth Rises, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for dismantling the prison industry and ending the exploitation of incarcerated people and their families.
Worth Rises analyzed data across six prison systems — California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York and the federal system — as well as 17 local jail systems to look at what happens when a prison or jail system stops charging people for phone calls with loved ones. Today, there are 330,000 incarcerated people who are not charged for phone calls to loved ones, out of the 2 million people behind bars.
I’ve been railing against the immoral practice of charging families for phone calls for the past three years, ever since I wrote a story about opioid settlement funds and how they’re used in Idaho. For that series, I interviewed two women who were in separate jails. The experience of trying to interview them was maddening. Not only were the phone calls expensive, they were unreliable and not user-friendly.
The financial burden on families is immense. I found families paying 21 to 25 cents per minute. In addition, families would lose their paid-for minutes when their loved one was moved to another facility, and the companies running these systems charge exorbitant fees just to put money in their accounts. It’s a corrupt and immoral practice.
The Worth Rises study found that about a third of families go into debt to fund communications with incarcerated loved ones.
The corrections telecom industry is a $1.5 billion business, of which nearly 90% is controlled by three companies, according to the report.
When prison or jail systems stopped charging for phone calls, the study found improvements in eight main areas:
- Increased connection: The incarcerated people in the study made 600 million more phone calls over the course of the study and spent 6.4 billion more minutes talking with loved ones. Phone calls become deeper and more substantive, rather than just a quick check-in.
- Financial relief: Getting rid of phone call charges saved families in the systems studied over $622 million. Individual savings ranged from $170 per year per family to $1,800. In addition, based on the additional calls and minutes after calls were made free, families saved an additional $240 to $2,900. In other words, if families were still paying for calls in Connecticut and talking at the increased frequency they’re talking now, they’d be paying on average $4,700 per year just to talk to a loved one.
- Stronger family and community relationships: 93% of incarcerated people and 82% of family members said the free calls helped them rebuild or repair relationships. That means a better support system for returning to society after release.
- Improved parenting and child development: Nearly half of all people in prison are parents of minor children. Free phone calls meant that parents, like Tineo, could call their children more often for everyday things like a wake-up call, help with homework or reading a bedtime story, not just for special occasions.
- Improved mental and physical health: 76% of incarcerated people and 77% of family members said free phone calls reduced stress and improved emotional stability. Correctional officers noticed the change: Things were calmer, more stable, and morale was higher.
- Less violence and disruption: 100% of the correctional staff recommended free communication as a security tool that reduced tensions and made their jobs easier.
- Rehabilitation: Increasing phone calls and connections to the outside world gave incarcerated people a renewed sense of belonging and hope. It aided in their personal growth, making their rehabilitation programs more effective.
- Reentry planning and success: Free calls boosted reentry into society by helping to set up housing, education, employment and treatment. That reduces recidivism, which improves public safety.
Here’s a side note from the study that is infuriating: After the state of Connecticut eliminated charging for phone calls, the state picked up the tab and negotiated a 92% discount, “which just goes to show you how excessively exploited families are over the cost of calls,” Bianca Tylek, one of the study’s authors, said on Monday’s call.
California and New York negotiated rates of 1.5 to 1.9 cents per minute, compared with the 24 or 25 cents per minute charged to families.
If Idaho is serious about reducing recidivism and helping incarcerated people transition out of prison to become productive members of society, eliminating charges for phone calls would be an excellent start.
We now have the numbers to show it.
Scott McIntosh is the opinion editor of the Idaho Statesman. You can email him at smcintosh@idahostatesman.com or call him at 208-377-6202. Sign up for the free weekly email newsletter The Idaho Way.
