Active Campaign
Maryland
Families and allied advocates are organizing to pass legislation that would make prison phone calls free
Families in Maryland are struggling to maintain critical connections with their incarcerated loved ones simply because they cannot afford the excessive cost of phone calls.
The impact is devastating:
Marylanders spend over $12 million annually to stay connected with incarcerated loved ones.
One in three families with an incarcerated loved one goes into debt to afford communication services and visits.
87% of those carrying this burden are women — largely Black and brown women.
Strong family connections and community ties improve facility safety, support rehabilitation, and increase successful reentry — or, in other words, they boost public safety. We should be encouraging communication and connecting families — not exploiting it.
SB 0056 and HB0401 would make communication in Maryland's prisons free for incarcerated people and their families. The bill needs a small budget appropriation. With your support we can get an appropriation in the legislative budget and move these bills through the hearings and to the floor for a vote, clearing major hurdles in the legislative process.
