Prison Phone Justice

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MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT
OF
CORRECTIONS
OFF~NtlE'R TUEPHONEPRIVILEGES

SOP NUMBER
31-02·01
AGENCY WIDE
INSTITUTIONS
INITIAL DATE
12·01·82
EFFECTIVE DATE

ACA STANDARDS: 4·4497

10·01-2003
STATUTES:

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NON·RESTRICTED

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APPLICABILITY:

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This procedure applies to all Mississippi Department of Corrections institutional employees
involved in the processing and/or implementation of offender telephone privileges.

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POLICY STATEMENT:

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It isJhe policy of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MOOG) to provide eligible offenders
with reasonable access to designated, monitored, public telephones.

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DEFINITIONS:

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Emergency Telephone Galls - Galls involving serious family illness, death, or impending disaster
related to an offender's property which cannot be deferred until regular mail delivery.
PROCEDURES:

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Offender Access
•

All offenders regardless of status will be provided access to public telephones in
accordance with designated schedules.

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Offender access will only be denied when there exists a reasonable and legitimate security
concern that requires pre-emptive action in order to ensure public safety and/or facility
order.

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All denied access restrictions will be justified and documented in writing.

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Only Superintendents or designees and/or a facility's controlling authority will approve
telephone access restrictions.

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Telephone List Creation
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Each MOOG offender will be allowed to create a telephone list that contains those
individuals with which said offender will be allowed to communicate with via MOOC
controlled telephones.

SOP NUMBER
31-02-01

TITLE: OFFENDER TELEPHONE PRIVILEGES
EFFECTIVE DATE: 10-01-2003
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I

NON-RESTRICTED

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•

The original offender phone list will be created during admission as a part of the orientation
process atthe Reception and Classification center.

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Thereafter, offenders will be given the opportunity to make changes to their telephone list
every six (6) months via their assigned case manager.

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Offenders will only be permitted to call those individuals who they have identified and listed
on their personal telephone call list.

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Offenders will not be allowed to have more than ten (10) names on their MDOC approved
list.

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Security Call Screening

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MDOC reserves the right to monitor and/or tape offenders' non-legal telephone calls in order to
ensure compliance with the Agency's Public Safety Mission.

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Legal Calls
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Telephone calls to attorneys or other legal representatives will be permitted for any offender
from the offender's unit by placing the attomey's name and phone number on his call list.

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Telephone calls to attomeys or other legal representatives will be permitted for any offender
who has not placed his/her attorney's name and number on his/her call list upon request as
soon as is reasonably possible by completing an Inmate Legal Assistance Request form.

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After the employee placing an offender's call verifies the attorney or legal representative's
. identity, such communications will be private.

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Legal calls will not be monitored.

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Emergency Calls

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Offenders will not be permitted incoming emergency telephone calls.

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Emergency in-coming offender calls will be forwarded to the Chaplain's Department or Duty
Chaplain for processing.

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Emergency telephone calls will not constitute a regUlarly scheduled telephone call.

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Call Restrictions

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All calls will be outgoing and limited to designated time frames.
All offender telephone calls will be collect calls at the expense of the person called.

SOP NUMBER
31-02-01

TITLE: OFFENDER TELEPHONE PRIVILEGES
EFFECTIVE DATE: 10-01-2003
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NON-RESTRICTED

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Disciplinary Detention

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Offenders in disciplinary detention will only be eligible for emergency and legal calls.

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REPORTS REQUIRED:
Allowed Call List Update Form
Inmate Legal Assistance Request form
As required by this procedure and through the chain of command.

ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY

Reviewed and
Approved for
Issuance

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hm ·ssioner of Institutions

Deputy Co~

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