How Can We Dismantle the Prison Industry Profiting from Families?

TL;DR

To dismantle the multibillion-dollar prison industry, we must recognize its exploitation of families, particularly through predatory telecom rates that can exceed $1 per minute for calls. Initiatives like making jail phone calls free can alleviate financial burdens, improve family communication, and ultimately contribute to reducing mass incarceration and its associated costs.

Transcript

[SHAPE YOUR FUTURE] Not too long ago, a mother told me, “I can talk to my son in the dark.” [Operator voice: The prepaid collect call from an inmate at --] Her son was in prison and paying for phone calls often meant she couldn't afford her light bill. See, families can pay as much as a dollar a minute to speak to a loved one in prison or jail. The... Read More

Key Insights

• 💔 Families of incarcerated individuals in the US pay exorbitant rates, up to $1 per minute, for phone calls, resulting in one in three families going into debt, with women, especially Black and brown women, being disproportionately burdened.
• 💰 The prison telecom industry is worth $1.2 billion, with corporations justifying high rates by claiming the need to pay commissions to prisons and provide security. However, comparisons between Connecticut and Illinois show that this is false, as the corporation still makes significantly more in Connecticut despite the same service being provided.
• 🔒 Instead, prison telecom corporations have a financial interest in keeping more people behind bars for longer, as this benefits their profits.
• 📞 Ensuring regular communication between incarcerated individuals and their families is not only morally right but also fiscally responsible and contributes to successful reentry upon release, reducing the likelihood of reoffending.
• 💸 Taxpayers, rather than the actual individuals in prison, bear the brunt of the costs, particularly in jails where most individuals are awaiting trial and not yet convicted.
• ⚖️ The prison industry encompasses various sectors, including food service, healthcare, and architecture, which prioritize profit over the well-being and dignity of those incarcerated.
• 🌐 Our society invests in these corporations through various avenues, such as retirement funds, public pensions, and private foundations, while also celebrating their executives on cultural institution boards.
• ⚡️ Addressing the crisis of mass incarceration requires coordinated efforts in both policymaking and corporate campaigns, such as Worth Rises' successful campaign to make jail phone calls free in New York City, saving families millions of dollars and increasing communication.

Questions & Answers

Q: How much do families typically have to pay per minute to speak to a loved one in prison or jail?

Families can pay as much as a dollar a minute to speak to a loved one in prison or jail.

Q: What is the financial burden on families with an incarcerated loved one when it comes to communication costs?

One in three families with an incarcerated loved one are forced into debt due to the costs of communication. Eighty-seven percent of those burdened are women.

Q: What percentage of families bearing the financial burden are disproportionately Black and brown, and why?

Eighty-seven percent of families carrying the financial burden are disproportionately Black and brown due to decades of racist policies and policing.

Q: How do prison telecom corporations justify the high rates they charge for communication?

Prison telecom corporations claim that the high rates are necessary to pay site commissions to prisons and jails and provide security and surveillance.

Q: Are the corporate claims about high rates supported by reality?

No, the corporate claims about high rates are not supported by reality. In Connecticut, where families are charged as much as 32.5 cents per minute, the telecom provider takes home 10 cents per minute, while in Illinois, where no commission is taken, families pay the same corporation nine tenths of a cent per minute.

Q: What is the financial interest of corporations in the prison industry?

Corporations in the prison industry have a financial interest in seeing more people behind bars and for longer periods of time. They prioritize profit by exploiting incarcerated individuals and their families.

Q: How can we address the crisis of mass incarceration when an entire segment of our economy is fighting to put more people behind bars?

We can address the crisis of mass incarceration by running coordinated policy and corporate campaigns. By advocating for change and dismantling the prison industry, we can work towards a solution.

Q: What has Worth Rises, a nonprofit prison abolition organization, achieved in the fight against the prison industry?

Worth Rises has led successful campaigns to make jail phone calls free in New York City, saving families nearly $10 million a year. They have also fought against the consolidation of major market players and removed a major investor from a major museum board, threatening the business model of the prison industry.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Families often have to pay exorbitant rates, up to a dollar per minute, to speak to loved ones in prison, leading to financial strain and debt, particularly for women and Black and brown families.

• Prison telecom corporations claim high rates are necessary for security and commissions to prisons, but evidence shows that these arguments are not supported by reality.

• The prison industry, including prison telecom, prioritizes profit over the well-being of incarcerated individuals and their families, contributing to the cycle of mass incarceration.