(credit: Jason Farrar)
The Federal Communications Commission is poised to cap the rates charged for phone calls made to and from prisons, saying inmate calling services are overcharging prisoners, their families, and attorneys.
"Just how high are these rates? A pro bono attorney paid $14 a minute to speak to an incarcerated client," FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn said in a speech last week. "Families write explaining how they are making extraordinary sacrifices by paying $400-$500 a month to hear their loved one’s voice. The endless array of new and increasing fees can add nearly 40 percent to costs—fees as high as $9.50 to open a new account, $4.75 to add money to an account, and $2.99 a month for the account maintenance fee. These rates and fees would be difficult for any family to bear, but if you were already struggling to stay afloat, you are now foregoing basic necessities like food and medicine just to make a phone call. No family should be forced to make this choice."
Studies have shown that contact between inmates and families during incarceration reduces the risk of recidivism, the FCC said.
Read 8 remaining paragraphs | Comments
No comments:
Post a Comment