As a result of the report, at least two companies, Turnkey and NCIC, made several clarifications and improvements to their fee policies.
by Peter Wagner,
May 28, 2013
Several phone companies have been keeping busy in the couple of weeks since we released our new report exposing the hidden fees in the prison phone industry, mostly for the better.
I’m proud to report that, as a result of the report, at least two companies, Turnkey and NCIC, made several clarifications and improvements to their fee policies:
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The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security claim that “the department has received no public feedback about the plan” to begin using dog sniff searches to screen prison visitors is, at best, incorrect
by Leah Sakala,
May 23, 2013
We were concerned as soon as we heard about the Massachusetts Department of Corrections’ plans to start using dogs to screen families and friends visiting loved ones in prison. After all, encouraging in-person visits is key to allowing incarcerated people to maintain the family and community ties that are central to success after release. Using dogs to search family members, friends, clergy, volunteers, and other visitors is deeply invasive and degrading, and can turn essential family visits into potentially traumatizing experiences.
We (along with many other concerned Massachusetts residents) told the Department of Corrections, the Executive Secretary of Public Safety, and the Governor’s Office that the dog sniffing policy is a terrible idea. And on April 10th, the Boston Globe Editorial Board warned the Department of Corrections about the grave consequences the policy could have.
So, we were very surprised to read in a recent Valley Advocate article that Terrel Harris, spokesman for the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, claims that “the department has received no public feedback about the plan.” It’s clear that this statement is, at best, incorrect, as we’ve clarified in a Letter to the Editor printed in this week’s issue.
The message is being sent loud and clear: the public knows that this policy will unnecessarily deter family visits and thereby make it harder for people released from custody to successfully rejoin their communities. The dog sniffing policy has already been put on hold; it should be canceled outright.
The newest Prison Policy Initiative report exposes the prison phone industry's hidden fees, which saddle the families of incarcerated people with staggeringly high phone bills.
by Leah Sakala,
May 8, 2013
The newest Prison Policy Initiative report exposes the prison phone industry’s hidden fees, which saddle the families of incarcerated people with staggeringly high phone bills.
by Leah Sakala,
April 17, 2013
North Country Public Radio’s Brian Mann talks with Peter Wagner about an encouraging trend towards declining prison populations.
by Leah Sakala,
March 25, 2013
The Massachusetts Department of Corrections plans to begin using drug sniffing dogs to screen families and friends who come to visit loved ones in prison. We submitted a letter urging Department of Corrections Commissioner Louis Spencer to halt this harmful and degrading policy in its tracks.
The Massachusetts Department of Corrections should immediately cancel the plan to use dogs to screen visitors to correctional facilities
by Peter Wagner,
March 21, 2013
March 21, 2013
Commissioner Luis S. Spencer
Massachusetts Department of Corrections
50 Maple Street, Suite 3
Milford, MA 01757-3698
Dear Commissioner Spencer,
I am writing as the Executive Director of the Prison Policy Initiative based in Easthampton, MA to strongly urge the Massachusetts Department of Corrections to immediately cancel the plan to use dogs to screen visitors to Department of Corrections facilities. This policy will unnecessarily deter family visits and thereby make it harder for people released from custody to successfully rejoin their communities.
Social science research has repeatedly found that allowing incarcerated people to preserve family and community ties is essential for facilitating reentry and reducing recidivism. In-person visits allow family members to stay in touch and maintain their relationships through periods of incarceration.[1] Using dogs to search family members, friends, clergy, volunteers, and other visitors is deeply invasive and degrading, and can turn essential family visits into potentially traumatizing experiences. For example, a child who is deeply afraid of dogs will resist visiting an incarcerated parent if he or she must undergo canine screening. Subjecting visitors to dog screening not only harmful, but also unnecessary, as the vast majority of correctional systems around the country maintain secure facilities without resorting to such extreme measures.
Additionally, the nation’s leading correctional professional organizations all agree that correctional facilities should encourage, not discourage, community members who wish to visit their loved ones in prison. The American Correctional Association, for example, urges correctional facilities to support “successful family and community reunification.” The Re-Entry Policy Council, a joint project of the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, created to facilitate incarcerated individuals’ reintegration in the community, recommends that correctional institutions “help to re-establish, expand, and strengthen relationships between prisoners and their families.”
The dog sniffing visitor screening policy runs in entirely the wrong direction. Rather than encourage, it will discourage crucial family contact, impeding reentry and contributing to increased recidivism. It should be canceled immediately. Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.
Sincerely,
Peter Wagner
CC: Governor Deval Patrick and Chief of Staff Brendon Ryan; Andrea Cabral, Executive Secretary of Public Safety.
Footnotes:
by Leah Sakala,
January 28, 2013
Can your organization sign on to a letter calling on the Census Bureau to complete the research necessary to end prison gerrymandering in 2020? The next census isn’t for seven more years, but the research and planning is taking place right now and the Bureau >needs to hear from your organization. Thank you!
At a Nov. 15th phone justice rally in Washington D.C., we, along with our partners at SumOfUs, delivered signatures from 36,690 people across the country calling on the FCC to rein in predatory prison phone rates. And it looks like the FCC will act soon -- Commissioner Mignon Clyburn announced that the FCC Chairman has circulated a prison phone regulatory proposal that the commission will now vote on.
by Leah Sakala,
November 15, 2012
At a Nov. 15th phone justice rally in Washington D.C., we, along with our partners at SumOfUs, delivered signatures from 36,690 people across the country calling on the FCC to rein in predatory prison phone rates. And it looks like the FCC will act soon — Commissioner Mignon Clyburn announced that the FCC Chairman has circulated a prison phone regulatory proposal that the commission will now vote on.
We worked with Josh Begley to create an info graphic showing that the states that bar the most people from the polls are likely to be the same states that cast the deciding vote for president on November 6, 2012
by Leah Sakala,
October 30, 2012
We worked with Josh Begley to create an info graphic showing that the states that bar the most people from the polls are likely to be the same states that cast the deciding vote for president on November 6, 2012
The New York Times cited "The Price to Call Home: State-Sanctioned Monopolization in the Prison Phone Industry" in an editorial calling on the Federal Communications Commission to cap prison calling rates.
by Leah Sakala,
September 24, 2012
The New York Times cited “The Price to Call Home: State-Sanctioned Monopolization in the Prison Phone Industry” in an editorial calling on the Federal Communications Commission to cap prison calling rates.
