California’s Legislature Made Prison Phone Calls Free—Utility Regulators Can Handle the Rest

Source: The American Prospect | By Kalena Thomhave

“As one technology is replaced by another one, we have to make sure that we are [forward-thinking] in ensuring that everyone has access to these technologies,” says Constance Slider Pierre, organizing director at The Utility Reform Network (TURN) in California. That’s part of what TURN is now advocating for at the CPUC—not just regulation of phone calls, but all ways that prisoners communicate with their friends and families.

On the heels of groundbreaking federal prison phone call legislation, public utility commissions across the country can also regulate exploitative prison telecoms.

Phone calls and other communications can give prisoners the encouragement they need to go to their classes, put in their time, and ultimately get home. The research bears this out: Family support is associated with reduced recidivism and better adjustment to life post-release.