Right now, families are charged exorbitant fees to maintain vital connections with incarcerated loved ones. The DOC charges 12 cents per minute, and most County Sheriffs charge 14 cents per minute: $2.40 and $2.80 for a 20-minute call, plus fees for putting money on an account. This is a regressive tax on the most marginalized families that also harms public safety by limiting communication and weakening community bonds. Families currently spend more than $14 million per year on service the State could get for around $3 million by negotiating a better contract.
As communities already struggle with the high cost of housing and health care, no one should be forced to choose between basic needs and maintaining contact with loved ones.
The campaign for No Cost Calls, which almost saw victory last session before last-minute legislative shenanigans, had a great week, as both the House and Senate took the final enactment votes needed to send an amended version of No Cost Calls to the Governor’s Desk.
Both the House and Senate had previously passed No Cost Calls language in their budget, but Governor Healey requested a change in the effective date to December 1, which advocates agreed to as long as there was a clear guarantee of no loss in access (i.e., preventing DOC from taking the extended runway as an opportunity to create a lower baseline of access to phone calls).
The House voted 132 to 26 on Wednesday to formally enact the amended language, and the Senate did so by voice vote on Thursday.
You can find the House vote below:
