There is rarely any good news for inmates caught in the grip of the prison industrial complex. But a recent order from the Federal Communications Commission capped rates for prison telephone calls. Phone companies had appealed to block the cap with a lawsuit against the FCC, but the action failed, much to the joy and delight of advocates for prisoners and their families. For them the rates were exorbitant and viewed as price gouging.
We hail and celebrate along with the advocates, although the jubilation may be a bit premature, a recent op-ed column in the New York Times warns. “Companies that cater to correctional populations target people who have a desperate need and no other options,” the column stated. “Capping phone rates will provide little check on a $1.2 billion industry.”
This problem concerning inmates and telephone connection with their relatives has been a longstanding issue, one that was addressed a decade ago by such activists as Bob Law and Charles Barron.
On hearing about the capping of the prison phone rates, Law said it was a good thing “and long overdue.”
However, Law added, “But, keep in mind, the FCC has no history of doing anything in the public interest. Let’s see how this plays out and if it really means that the price gouging will come to an end.”
He said it wasn’t uncommon for relatives of prisoners, who take the collect calls from inmates, to be saddled with monthly phone bills totaling $800. “In effect,” he said, “the relatives are virtually incarcerated, too. They feel a sense of desperation and a need to keep the contact active and constant because for them the landline is a lifeline.” Visitors to prisons are not allowed to bring cell phones into the waiting rooms.
The phone calls are certainly important for inmates, who are often separated by many miles from their loved ones. Sometimes a phone call is all they can count on to keep their spirits up and a bit of sanity, even if the person on the other end of the line is doing all he or she can to pay for the expensive calls.
Price gouging, or excessive charges on phone calls, is just one aspect of how the companies exploit prison financial services, a system that is largely unregulated, the op-ed in the Times continued.
Many friends and relatives, even if someone they call or visit is in prison, are often not aware of the extent to which the corrections system has its own commercial arm.
“Everything an inmate can buy—phone calls, commissary, co-pays for substandard medical care, video visitation or the new email service—is purchased through a special account created by the prison or a private company,” the op-ed article disclosed. This is just another economic element of the vast prison industrial complex that writer Michelle Alexander has discussed so rewardingly.
When a family member of an inmate has an account, there is a service fee. But there are no controls, no regulation on companies that choose to jack up costs for the number of minutes per call. And these accounts, it has been reported, share their profits with the prison system.
“The profiteering is outrageous,” Law said. “And it’s getting so bad and ramifies in so many ways you are left to wonder how much of it is illegal. Further investigation may uncover evidence for criminal prosecution.”
It may be naïve to believe there’s a semblance of human dignity in our criminal justice system and the prison industrial complex, but human dignity would seem to be the least of demands.
Our prisoners, the inmates of America, which has the largest number behind walls, needs reform from bottom to the top, including the exploitation by phone companies. A phone call should be a human right and one without any additional cost of indignity.