Mike Wessler and Juliana Luna | September 16, 2024

Prison Banned Books Week: Books give incarcerated people access to the world, but tablets are often used to wall them off

Instead of taking advantage of their possibilities, the companies that got rich off prison phone calls offer limited book selections on tablets, as part of their continued efforts to sap money from incarcerated people and their families.

Wanda Bertram | July 18, 2024

FCC votes to slash prison and jail calling rates and ban corporate kickbacks

New rules, the result of the bipartisan passage of the Martha Wright-Reed Fair and Just Communications Act, are a massive victory in the decades-long fight for prison and jail communication justice.

Brian Nam-Sonenstein | June 15, 2023

Breaking news from inside: How prisons suppress prison journalism

Building on data from the Prison Journalism Project, we find that most states enforce restrictions that make practicing journalism extremely difficult and sometimes risky.

Wanda Bertram | January 19, 2023

Since You Asked: What’s next for prison and jail phone justice now that the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act is law?

We explain what the new law accomplishes, how the FCC can — and should — enforce it, and why the fight for phone justice is not over.

Leah Wang | November 17, 2022

Mail scanning: A harsh and exploitative new trend in prisons

In at least 14 states, people in state prisons are falling victim to a scan: Prisons are replacing physical mail with scanned copies, a policy that benefits private companies.

Stephen Raher | September 7, 2022

A million here, a million there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money: Class-action settlement reveals Global Tel*Link’s addiction to seizing customer money

Evidence from court case shows why the FCC should act to stop abusive practices in the industry.

Stephen Raher | August 17, 2022

Please Mr. Postman: It’s time to create a special postal mail rate for incarcerated people

Congress has created reduced postage rates for special groups in the past...it's time for it to create one for incarcerated people and their families.

Leah Wang | August 11, 2022

Both sides of the bars: How mass incarceration punishes families

Government survey results illuminate the broader consequences of locking up people with children.

Leah Wang | December 21, 2021

Research roundup: The positive impacts of family contact for incarcerated people and their families

The research is clear: visitation, mail, phone, and other forms of contact between incarcerated people and their families have positive impacts for everyone — including better health, reduced recidivism, and improvement in school. Here’s a roundup of over 50 years of empirical study, and a reminder that prisons and jails often pay little more than lip service to the benefits of family contact.

Wanda Bertram | September 10, 2021

New data: Wisconsin jails and telecom giants profiting from high phone rates that keep families apart

Andrea Fenster | June 10, 2021

What families can expect to be charged under the new FCC rules

A new order from the Federal Communications Commission lowers existing caps on rates and fees in the prison and jail telephone industry.

Peter Wagner and Alexi Jones | September 11, 2019

The biggest priorities for prison and jail phone justice in 40 states

High prison rates, high jail rates, high first minute charges, and more

Sarah Watson | June 18, 2019

When jails replace in-person visits with video, what happens when the technology fails?

As more jails ban face-to-face visits in favor of paid video chats, a growing number of people in jail are being cut off from their families when the technology breaks down.

Mack Finkel and Wanda Bertram | March 7, 2019

More states are signing harmful “free prison tablet” contracts

Tablet computers are delivering a captive audience to profit-seeking companies, while enabling prisons to cut essential services like law libraries. We investigate.

Peter Wagner and Alexi Jones | February 11, 2019

On kickbacks and commissions in the prison and jail phone market

Phone providers are so creative in their influence-peddling that the most viable reform strategies do not focus only on "commissions."

Wendy Sawyer | February 5, 2019

Why expensive phone calls can be life-altering for people in jail – and can derail the justice process

The cost of jail phone calls punishes people in the most desperate circumstances, most of whom have not been convicted of a crime.

Peter Wagner and Alexi Jones | December 17, 2018

Timeline: The 18-year battle for prison phone justice

The fight to make prison and jail phone calls affordable began in 2000. For those wondering "why is this taking so long?", here are the key dates.

Jorge Renaud | December 6, 2018

Who’s really bringing contraband into jails? Our 2018 survey confirms it’s staff, not visitors

When jails cut family visits in the name of security, advocates should demand evidence.

Wanda Bertram and Peter Wagner | July 24, 2018

How to spot the hidden costs in a “no-cost” tablet contract

There's no such thing as a free lunch - or a free tablet.

Peter Wagner | July 19, 2018

New York City to make all calls from jail free

New York City becomes the first jurisdiction to make calls home from jails free. Who else is going to follow this smart step?

Lucius Couloute | January 30, 2018

Findings from Knox County, Tenn.: Replacing in-person visits with video calling is bad policy

A new report highlights how the replacement of in-person visits with video calling makes jails less safe, but more profitable for sheriffs.

Aleks Kajstura | October 12, 2017

Jail phone companies flood money into sheriff races

New research shows jail phone companies contributing significant sums to Sheriff's campaigns, in one case funding a quarter of Sheriff's campaign spending.

Stephen Raher | July 6, 2017

The Wireless Prison: How Colorado’s tablet computer program misses opportunities and monetizes the poor

Colorado's tablet program foreshadows a potential new paradigm in corrections, shifting numerous communications, educational, and recreational functions to a for-profit contractor; and making incarcerated people and their families pay for services that are commonly funded by the state.

Lucius Couloute | June 13, 2017

For families of incarcerated dads, Father’s day comes at a premium

Over 1.5 million children have a father incarcerated in prison today. As Father's day approaches, millions of children will be without their fathers, and without the ability to pay the outrageous fees associated with speaking to them. State lawmakers should take the initiative to better regulate prison telecom companies, and most importantly, reduce the number of incarcerated people.

Aleks Kajstura | January 19, 2017

Evading regulation, some in-state phone calls from jails cost over $1.50 a minute

The first ever national survey of in-state jail phone rates finds some jails charge more than $1.50 a minute.

Alison Walsh | July 20, 2016

Maryland proposes – and promptly withdraws – plan to ban letters to people incarcerated in the state’s prisons

A now-withdrawn proposal would have made Maryland the first state to ban letters to people in state facilities.

Emily Widra | April 18, 2016

Travis County, Texas: A Case Study on Video Visitation

Travis County, Texas' experience shows: video visitation often fails to meet expectations.

Alison Walsh | March 23, 2016

Despite court stay, Mississippi sets new phone rates in accordance with FCC order

Mississippi just slashed its phone rates beyond what was required. What does that say to the states challenging the FCC's original order?

Peter Wagner | September 29, 2015

What would prison telephone justice look like?

What would effective state executive or legislative action for prison and jail telephone justice look like?

Bernadette Rabuy | February 18, 2015

New videos: Video visitation is not “just like Skype”

4 short comedy videos reject that video visits are "just like Skype"

Sarah Hertel-Fernandez | August 12, 2014

How the prison phone industry incentivizes bad policy

Verizon says no; but the industry and sheriffs say yes to ripping off poor families and endangering public safety.