The Keep Families Connected Act eliminates fees that help fuel a $1.4 billion prison telecom industry in the US and drive more than 1 in 3 families into debt
SACRAMENTO — Senator Josh Becker announced a bill today to eliminate all telecommunication fees in California’s county jails and state prisons, a change that would rid incarcerated people and their families of the financial burden that results from connecting by phone, electronic messaging or video calling systems in state and local lockups.
“Staying connected with family and friends is integral to the mental health and well-being of all people, but especially incarcerated Californians,” said Senator Becker, D-Peninsula, the author of Senate Bill 1008, the Keep Families Connected Act. “Providing free communication with families through this bill can help incarcerated people remain hopeful and connect with resources that can support their re-entry, such as resources for future housing, employment and counseling. These essential connections should not be severed.”
Studies show disconnection from family and personal support systems creates mental health problems for the incarcerated and their families. Research also shows that incarcerated people who are able to keep in frequent contact with their loved ones are more successful re-entering society than those who have limited or no contact.
Fueling a $1.4 billion industry
But the high costs of keeping in contact drive more than 1 in 3 families, who already are financially strapped, into debt for phone calls and visits with their loved ones, according to a study conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic restricted in-person visits and pushed more contacts to telecom. Overwhelmingly, the study found, the costs of staying connected were shouldered by families, and 87% of the family members bearing the financial responsibility were women. The fees paid feed a nationwide jail and prison communication industry now estimated at $1.4 billion.
“No parent should ever have to choose between talking to their children or paying the family's bills, like I, and many others were forced to do while incarcerated,” Amika Mota, policy director for the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. “Prison telecom corporations have been profiting off our families and communities for far too long. It's time to stop gouging families and start supporting them to maintain meaningful connections – this isn't just better for re-entry success, it's also the humane and right thing to do.”
For years, the basic costs for phone and video calls in prisons and county jails varied widely among the facilities with other charges tacked on as related telecom fees. The added fees made up as much as a third of the total expense for families keeping in touch. Cost for emails, which are subject to telecom charges that also vary, have depended on their length and whether photos are included.
Taking steps toward equity in California
In the past year, efforts to reduce telecom costs for the incarcerated have brought the charges in California state prisons down to 2.5 cents per minute for phone calls to anywhere in the US. Last summer, the California Public Utilities Commission imposed an “interim” cap of 7 cents per minute for phone calls at jails and prisons throughout the state as the regulators consider requests that they lower the costs permanently, or eliminate them.
Financial justice and equity advocates say any charges create unnecessary added burdens for incarcerated people and their families. They point to cities, counties and the state of Connecticut, which have made jail or prison phone calls free. In 2020, San Francisco became the first county in the country to make phone calls free for people held in jail – a move that saved families $1.1 million. San Diego County made calls in its jails free in 2021. New York City made jail calls free in 2019, becoming the first major city to do so. In Connecticut, the first state to pass legislation on the issue, the law making prison phone calls free takes effect later this year.
“It's time for California to put people before profits and make phone calls free for all incarcerated people,” said Anne Stuhldreher, director of Financial Justice in the Office of the San Francisco Treasurer. “We need to make it easier—not harder—for incarcerated people to stay in touch with their families and support networks. When we drain the bank accounts of incarcerated people’s families, we’re punishing people who are doing their best to support their loved ones. That should be celebrated, not penalized. San Francisco was the first city in California to make all phone calls from jail free. Since that time, incarcerated people are spending 80% more time in touch with their families and support networks.”
“If we want to be serious about creating an equitable society and economy, we must get to the root causes of racial and gender wealth inequality,” said Jhumpa Bhattacharya, vice president of Programs and Strategy at the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. “The Insight Center’s research has shown that one of the driving forces of racial and gender wealth inequality is debt and costs related to the criminal legal system. Making communication free for incarcerated families is a critical step towards racial and gender equity in California.”
Strong Support for SB 1008, the Keep Families Connected Act
“I’m grateful for the support of my colleagues who are coauthoring SB 1008 and of the strong coalition of financial justice, social justice and advocacy organizations that are cosponsoring this important legislation,” said Senator Becker.
The coauthors of the Keep Families Connected Act include Senator María Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, Senator Sydney K. Kamlager, D-Los Angeles, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, Assemblymember Isaac G. Bryan, D-Los Angeles and Assemblymember Mike Fong, D-San Gabriel Valley.
The coalition of cosponsors includes the San Francisco Financial Justice Project, Western Center on Law and Poverty, Worth Rises, Empowering Women Impacted by Incarceration, Insight Center for Community Economic Development, Jesse's Place Organization, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children/All of Us or None, Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition and TURN - The Utility Reform Network.
SB 1008, which was amended in its entirety to introduce the telecom legislation, is expected to be heard in a Senate policy committee in the coming weeks.
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Media Contact: Leslie Guevarra, leslie.guevarra@sen.ca.gov, 415-298-3404
Updated 3/23/2002 to read "Keep Families Connected" in final subhead and add a coauthor.