Welcome to the Prison Phone Justice website, maintained by the Human Rights Defense Center
This site deals with the issue of prison and jail phone calls, which typically cost much more than non-prison calls. Prison phone contracts are based on a "commission" model, where the phone service provider pays a commission (kickback) to the contracting government agency, such as a state prison system or county jail. These kickbacks inflate the costs of prison and jail phone calls, which in the vast majority of cases are paid not by prisoners but by their family members. This website includes detailed information on state-by-state prison phone rates and commission data, as well as reports, articles and other resources related to prison phone services and the prison phone industry.
Also please visit the Campaign for Prison Phone Justice site, which includes resources for getting involved in this issue as an advocate or activist.
NOTE: In 2017, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the FCC’s intrastate (in-state) rate caps and other reforms. Currently, interstate (long distance) prison and phone rates are capped at $.21/minute for debit and prepaid calls, and $.25/minute for collect calls. Intrastate prison and phones rates are currently unregulated by the FCC, resulting in extremely high rates at county jails. The posted rates below reflect the most recent information we have, but may not be the current rates for phone calls made from some state prison systems. Please check with the appropriate prison system or ICS service provider for current rates.
