Calls from Prison

How does a 20-minute phone call in a prison end up costing $20 — which families end up paying for because calls are usually made collect? According to the American Prospect, states sign exclusive prison contracts with phone companies, and 42 states receive a “kickback” commission from each phone call, which is supposedly used to fund prison rehabilitation programs and treat sick prisoners. But it also can cut off communication between prisoners and their loved ones because they’re unable to pay for the expensive calls, which adds to the long list of other problems we having going on in our prison system.

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