Communication
The Prison Policy Initiative uncovers how prisons, jails, and the private sector inhibit important communications and exploit families. See our research on:
And don’t miss our report: Separation by Bars and Miles: Visitation in state prisons finding that most people in state prison are locked up over 100 miles from their families and that, unsurprisingly, these great distances — as well as the time and expense required to overcome them — actively discourage family visits. That reality makes protecting other forms of communication home all the more important.
See also:
- Telephone and video calling section of our blog.
- The Wireless Prison: How Colorado’s tablet computer program misses opportunities and monetizes the poor by Stephen Raher, July 6, 2017.
Colorado's tablet program foreshadows a potential new paradigm in corrections - shifting prison and jail services to for-profit contractors, and making incarcerated people and their families pay for services that are commonly funded by the state.
Recommended Reading:
For-profit video visits in prisons & jails
This predatory industry wants to literally stand in between the incarcerated and their families by replacing human contact with computer chats.
50 state incarceration profiles
All of our recent reports about prison/jail growth, racial disparities, and more, re-organized by state.
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie
The U.S. incarcerates 2.3 million people, more than any other country. Where are they locked up and why? Read our report.
Exploitation in the criminal justice system
Companies and correctional facilities exploit captive markets. We expose them.