families are struggling
THE PROBLEM
the cost of communication is tearing families apart
Roughly two million people are incarcerated on any given night in the U.S. For decades now, families impacted by incarceration have struggled to stay connected with their loved ones behind bars due to the high cost of communication. In the end, many can’t afford to, and they are forced to cut ties. The resulting isolation for incarcerated people and their families has catastrophic consequences for us all.
How does prison and jail communication work?
Incarcerated people cannot chose their phone provider like we do in the free world. They depend on a niche telecommunications industry to maintain critical relationships with their loved ones. Over the past four decades, this industry has consolidated dramatically, such that today 90% of incarcerated people are reliant on just one of three providers, all of which are owned by private equity firms.
These — Securus, ViaPath, and ICSolutions — and other smaller providers compete for monopoly contracts awarded by correctional agencies. Until recently, agencies often awarded these contracts based on how much the providers were willing to pay them in commissions. This profit-sharing arrangement drove up costs, requiring the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates the industry, to ban the payment of commissions. Still, the correctional telecom industry continues to engage in predatory or even unlawful practices that include.
a $1.5 billion industry built on family separation
Correctional telecom is not a normal market. Prisons and jails sign exclusive contracts with a single telecom corporation, and in many places, the agency takes a cut of every call — a kickback, often called a "commission." The higher the rate charged to families, the more revenue the agency collects. That's why a 15-minute call can cost $0 in one state and $16 in another. Families bear the cost of an arrangement they had no part in designing and no power to negotiate.
$1.5 Billion
ANNUAL REVENUE OF THE CORRECTIONAL TELECOM INDUSTRY
Dominated by just a few corporations, the correctional telecom industry preys on families with incarcerated loved ones to enrich itself to the tune of billions every year.
1 in 3
FAMILIES WITH INCARCERATED LOVED ONES FORCED INTO DEBT
Families dealing with incarceration will forgo other bills trying to stay in touch with their loved ones inside, and 87% of those carrying the financial burden are women, largely women of color.
$0.19
NATIONAL PER MINUTE RATE CAP FOR JAIL CALLS
After years of lobbying federal regulators, the industry has managed to rollback reductions in rate caps, with the nation’s smallest jails suffering the highest rate caps.
