Search | Prison Phone Justice

"Let Freedom Ring" -- Cellphones Abound In California Prisons

Article • February 15, 2008 • from PLN February, 2008

Filed under: Crime, Telephones, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates

"Let Freedom Ring" -- Cellphones Abound In California Prisons by Over 1,000 cellphones and Blackberrys were confiscated in California's 33 prisons in the past year. While such contraband was at a trickle seven years ago, the technology has reduced the size of these items to permit a veritable flood today …

Eighth Circuit Holds State Funding of Iowa Faith-Based Prison Unconstitutional

Article • January 15, 2008 • from PLN January, 2008

Filed under: Injunctions, Telephones, Telephone Rates, Required Religious Programming, Proselytizing

the state used money from prison telephone kickbacks and the state tobacco lawsuit settlement fund to partially fund the InnerChange Freedom Initiative, an 18-24 month biblically-based program that seeks ...

Yount v. T-Netix Inc, PA, Commission Order, Public Utility, 2008

Brief • January 5, 2008

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates

involving the efforts of T-Netix to provide telephone service to prison inmates throughout Pennsylvania. On March 22, 2004, Jon E. Yount, AC-8297, filed a Complaint against T-Netix. Twenty-one other inmates 2 ...

Connecticut Prisoners’ Families Gouged on Phone Calls

Article • December 15, 2007 • from PLN December, 2007

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Rates

Connecticut Prisoners’ Families Gouged on Phone Calls by Connecticut Prisoners' Families Gouged on Phone Calls Until recently, most Connecticut Department of Correction (CDOC) prisoners were forced to make phone calls using an MCI (Verizon Business) collect calling system at rates much higher than those charged to the general public. Under …

Texas Last State in Union to Get Prison Phones

Article • November 15, 2007 • from PLN November, 2007

Filed under: Crime/Demographics, Victims, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates, State Legislation

prisoner telephones in state prisons. State Senator Letica Van de Putte filed SD 1580, authorizing the phones, which took effect Nay 15, 2007. State Representatives Terri Hodge (D-Dallas) and Pat Haggerty (R ...

Federal Filed Rate Doctrine Preempts State Action Challenging Prisoner Phone Rates

Article • May 15, 2007

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Rates, Contractor Liability

for interstate collect calls from prisoners. The defendants, MCI Worldcom, ICO Teleservices, and ICO Telecommunications, provide telephone services that require the prisoners to make collect only calls ...

Telephone User Has Standing to Sue Over Poor Service

Article • May 15, 2007

Filed under: Standing, Telephones, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates

Telephone User Has Standing to Sue Over Poor Service by A telephone user complaining of poor service had standing to sue the telephone service provider under 47 U.S.C. §§ 206 and 207 ...

Collect Only Telephone Calls to Attorneys Denies Access to Counsel

Article • May 15, 2007

Filed under: Attorney Client, Telephones, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates, Attorney Calls

Collect Only Telephone Calls to Attorneys Denies Access to Counsel by The California First District Court of Appeal has held that pre-trial detainee's have a right to a direct line telephone ...

A Look Inside Washington's Prison Phone Bidding System

Article • May 15, 2007

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Rates

rescinded a Request for Proposals (RFP) to contract for prisoner telephone services. In March 2004, DOC issued an RFP to solicit bids for the implementation and operation of a new prisoner ...

Eighth Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Phone Rate Challenge

Article • May 15, 2007

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Rates

, Nebraska. The County contracts with private telecommunications companies to provide inmates with telephone services at the DCCC. The private companies install and operate telephones at the DCCC. As part ...

Collect Call Phone System Doesn't Violate Right to Court Access

Article • May 15, 2007

Filed under: Attorney Client, Court Access, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates, Attorney Calls, Telephone Monitoring

Collect Call Phone System Doesn't Violate Right to Court Access by A federal district court in Tennessee held that no constitutional violation occurred when a Tennessee prison replaced its coin operated phones with a coinless, collect call only phone system. Lawsuit was brought in context of access to counsel and …

Louisiana Sheriff Sues Parish For Revenue Generated From Jail Operation

Article • May 15, 2007

Filed under: Civil Procedure, Standing, Mootness, Telephone Rates

to revenues generated at the Parish jail for commissary, telephones, vending machines, and medical expenses for federal prisoners. The trial court held that the Parish was not entitled to these revenues ...

Two Victories in New York’s Struggle Against Unjust Telephone Contract

Article • April 15, 2007 • from PLN April, 2007

Filed under: Civil Procedure, Limitations, Telephone Rates, Contractor Liability

, 2004, as the campaign was heating up, CCR filed a suit against the New York State Department of Corrections and MCI over its monopoly contract and the exorbitant telephone rates family members and others ...

New Jersey Phone Rates Out of Control

Article • March 15, 2007 • from PLN March, 2007

Filed under: Prisoner Privileges, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Telephone Rates

New Jersey Phone Rates Out of Control by Gary Hunter Two calls a week from her incarcerated son costs Marjorie Arniotis over $150 per month. Lorraine Green pays around $200 a month to talk to her imprisoned son and was paying more until one of her sons was acquitted in …

Appeals Court Reverses Summary Judgment of Washington Phone Suit

Article • March 15, 2007 • from PLN March, 2007

Filed under: State Law Claims, Telephone Rates, Immunity/Liability, Contractor Liability

Appeals Court Reverses Summary Judgment of Washington Phone Suit by A Washington appeals court has overturned a lower court's grant of summary judgment to telephone companies in a lawsuit ...

From the Editor

Article • February 15, 2007 • from PLN February, 2007

Filed under: Editorials, Telephones, Telephone Rates

and be able to, if not meet them yet, at least talk on the phone. Texas is the only prison system that does not allow its prisoners to have telephone access. Last month's issue of PLN had a cover story ...

Confronting Confinement, A Report On Safety and Abuse In America’s Prisons, Vera Justice Institute (2006), 118 pp.

Article • February 15, 2007 • from PLN February, 2007

Filed under: Reviews, Medical, Systemic Medical Neglect, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Guard Brutality/Beatings, Telephone Rates

Confronting Confinement, A Report On Safety and Abuse In America’s Prisons, Vera Justice Institute (2006), 118 pp. by John Dannenberg Confronting Confinement, A Report On Safety and Abuse In America's Prisons, Vera Justice Institute (2006), 118 pp. Reviewed by John E. Dannenberg The Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's …

Cleaning up Mississippi’s Supermax: Conditions Suit Settled

Article • February 15, 2007 • from PLN February, 2007

Filed under: CMS, Medical, Contagious Disease -- Misc., Exercise, Sewage, Sanitation, Reading Materials, Vermin, Restraints, Telephone Rates, Ad-Seg Hearings, ACA

Cleaning up Mississippi’s Supermax: Conditions Suit Settled by David Reutter Cleaning up Mississippi's Supermax: Conditions Suit Settled by David M. Reutter A class action lawsuit filed on behalf of prisoners at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman charged that the totality of conditions are so "hellish" that it makes "Unit …

Ex-Communication: Competition and Collusion in the U.S. Prison Telephone Industry

Article • January 15, 2007 • from PLN January, 2007

Filed under: Misconduct/Corruption, Contractor Misconduct, Crime, Statistics/Trends, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates

of prison telephone access in the U.S. is itself of relatively recent vintage. Until the early 1970s, prisoners of the state and federal prison systems were limited to one collect call every three months ...

Missouri Prisoner Calls Get Cheaper; But Lowest Bid Rejected

Article • December 15, 2006 • from PLN December, 2006

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Rates

Missouri Prisoner Calls Get Cheaper; But Lowest Bid Rejected by The competitive bid process is normally used by state agencies to compel companies to compete with lower bids while providing the same service. Usually, the lowest bid prevails. In the case of providing collect calls for Missouri prisons, the contract …