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Massachusetts becomes fifth state to make prison calls free

(www.wgbh.org)
264 points toomuchtodo | 1 comments | 29 Nov 23 02:33 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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glenjamin ◴[29 Nov 23 12:39 UTC] No.38458643[source]▶
I once attended an internal presentation while working for the UK's Ministry of Justice.

A large number of contraband mobile phones had been confiscated, and a team performed some data analysis to see what they'd been used for.

The overwhelming conclusion was that the phones had been primarily used to keen in touch with family.

There's also a whole bunch of research that showed that maintaining ties with the outside world while incarcerated led to reduced rates of reoffending (and the inverse was also true - isolation led to increased rates).

Allowing free phone calls in and out of prisons makes a lot of sense both socially and economically.

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1. hilux ◴[30 Nov 23 10:04 UTC] No.38471701[source]▶
A lot of what makes sense socially and economically doesn't happen (esp. in the US) when the alternative is a very profitable business, often an oligopoly. E.g. free prison phone calls hurt the >$1B "inmate telephone business."

Prisons themselves can be a profitable business, which (if you own a for-profit prison) provides strong incentive for reducing rehabilitation and increasing recidivism.