A New Era of Affordable Phone Calls for New York State Prisoners and Their Families
Rates for phone calls from inmates in New York State to family and friends will be drastically reduced, thanks to a mandate from Governor Eliot Spitzer [New York Times 1.9.07]. Proponents of the order hailed the governor’s action, saying that both prisoners and the public benefit when inmates stay in touch with their loved ones. Reducing the cost of prison phone calls, which most states charge at much higher rates than the general public, was among the recommendations from the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons. The commission’s report, Confronting Confinement, suggests that minimizing the cost of prisoners’ telephone calls supports community and family bonds. “Strong connections to family and community give hope to people in prison,” they wrote. “And hope is critical to avoiding violence.”
National Association of Counties’ 2007 Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee Retreat
Alex Busansky and Michela Bowman, both from the DC office of the Vera Institute of Justice, presented on the findings of the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons at the National Association of Counties’ 2007 Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee Retreat in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 19.
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