Search | Prison Phone Justice

Guards Used “Blast Grenades” to Break Up Mob Attack  in California Prison

Article • July 15, 2025 • from PLN July, 2025

Filed under: Failure to Protect (General), Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Prisoner Privileges, Telephone Access

Guards Used “Blast Grenades” to Break Up Mob Attack in California Prison by On June 6, 2025, Julian Mendez, 46, a prisoner on death row at the Kern Valley State Prison in Riverside County, California, was killed by inmate Mario Renteria, 36, using a makeshift weapon, KGET in Bakersfield reported. …

Los Angeles County Makes Jail Phone Calls Free

Article • June 1, 2024 • from PLN June, 2024

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Rates

Los Angeles County Makes Jail Phone Calls Free by On December 1, 2023, phone calls became free for detainees and prisoners in Los Angeles County jails. The county’s Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 on November 22, 2023, to amend the existing phone service contract with ViaPath Technologies—formerly Global Tel*Link (GTL)—to …

Compensation Awarded to California Non-Profit and HRDC Officials for Efforts Reducing Prison Phone Rates

Article • December 1, 2023 • from PLN December, 2023

Filed under: Advocacy, Telephone Rates, 18-B Compensation

the scope of PUC’s rulemaking beyond “text telephones” for prisoners with hearing-related disabilities to include VoIP (voice over internet protocol) services. When seeking compensation ...

FCC Granted Broader Authority to Regulate Prisoner Call Costs

Article • July 15, 2023 • from PLN July, 2023

Filed under: Telephone Rates, Global Tel*Link Corp

FCC Granted Broader Authority to Regulate Prisoner Call Costs by Chuck Sharman by Chuck Sharman On March 16, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to begin rule-making to implement the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022. Named after a determined woman who tirelessly campaigned to lower …

California Appeals Court Affirms Rate Caps and Fee Limitations for Prison Telecoms

Article • July 15, 2023 • from PLN July, 2023

Filed under: Telephone Rates, Private Phone Contractors, Securus

Court of Appeal Makes Its Ruling To begin, the Court noted that the state Supreme Court said in The Ponderosa Telephone Co. v. Public Utilities Com., 36 Cal.App.5th 999 (2019), that there is a &ldquo ...

CA Utilities Commission Fee Award 6-19-23

Publication • June 19, 2023

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Rates

communications services serving people with disabilities. As discussed above, IPCS providers providing such services are telephone corporations and public utilities and as such are subject to our jurisdiction ...

California Makes Calls Free for State Prisoners and Juvenile Detainees, Prohibits Telecom Kickbacks to Prisons and Jails

Article • April 1, 2023 • from PLN April, 2023

Filed under: Telephone Rates, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders, Kickback Scheme

California Makes Calls Free for State Prisoners and Juvenile Detainees, Prohibits Telecom Kickbacks to Prisons and Jails by Benjamin Tschirhart by Benjamin Tschirhart On September 29, 2022, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed S.B. 1008 into law, barring government agencies in the state from collecting any part of the revenue …

California Court Sides With Securus in Challenge to CDCR Contract, Dealing Only Temporary Setback to GTL

Article • September 1, 2022 • from PLN September, 2022

Filed under: Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Telephone Rates, Securus, Global Tel*Link Corp

to exceed it for video calls and international telephone calls. In this way, Respondents granted GTL an unfair advantage the California law proscribes.” As the Court determined that a writ of mandate ...

$900,000 Settlement in Class Action Lawsuit Alleging Securus Recorded California Prisoner-Attorney Calls

Article • February 1, 2022 • from PLN February, 2022

Filed under: Settlements, Attorney Calls, Telephone Monitoring, Class Actions

$900,000 Settlement in Class Action Lawsuit Alleging Securus Recorded California Prisoner-Attorney Calls by David Reutter Company Walks From Similar Case in Maine by David M. Reutter ...

California Slashes High Call Rates in Prisons and Jails

Article • October 1, 2021 • from PLN October, 2021

Filed under: Telephone Rates

California Slashes High Call Rates in Prisons and Jails by Chuck Sharman by Chuck Sharman On the heels of a May 2021 decision by federal regulators that sharply lowered rates prisoners and their loved ones pay for interstate calls, the California Public Utilities Commission (CAPUC) adopted a rule on August …

California Public Utilities Commission, Admin Law Judge Ruling Compelling Production of Documents, Inmate Telephone Rates, 2021

Brief • September 13, 2021

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates

California Public Utilities Commission, Admin Law Judge Ruling Compelling Production of Documents, Inmate Telephone Rates, 2021 MGA/CF1/mef 9/13/2021 FILED 09/13/21 12:14 PM BEFORE THE PUBLIC ...

Securus Technologies, LLC v. California Dept of Technology, CA, Reply Brief, Inmate Phone Calls, 2021

Brief • September 10, 2021

Filed under: Telephone Rates

- it only meant one 4 rate for domestic telephone calls. No amount of discretion gives the State the ability to change the 5 meaning of the term “rates” and “calls” in the RFP’s NTE rates cap section ...

Securus Technologies, LLC v. California Dept of Technology, CA, Reply Brief, Inmate Phone Calls, 2021 (1)

Brief • September 10, 2021

Filed under: Telephone Rates

- it only meant one 4 rate for domestic telephone calls. No amount of discretion gives the State the ability to change the 5 meaning of the term “rates” and “calls” in the RFP’s NTE rates cap section ...

Securus Technologies, LLC v. California Dept of Technology, CA, Opening Brief, Inmate Phone Calls, 2021

Brief • September 10, 2021

Filed under: Telephone Rates

with the 25 NTE for video calls and the anticipated increase in video calling utilization that will follow 26 once the State implements video calling full time, GTL was able to reduce its other telephone 27 ...

Securus Technologies, LLC v. California Dept of Technology, CA, Petition for Writ of Mandate, Inmate Phone Calls, 2021

Brief • September 10, 2021

Filed under: Telephone Rates

state inmates with improved telecommunications, including domestic and international telephone calling as well as calling by video. Page 1 of 10 In August 2020, Respondents solicited bids by way ...

San Diego Jail Approves Free Phone and Video Calls

Article • September 1, 2021 • from PLN September, 2021

Filed under: Telephone Rates, Video Visitation

San Diego Jail Approves Free Phone and Video Calls by The County of San Diego Board of Supervisors (Board) voted unanimously February 27, 2021 to stop charging prisoners and detainees in county jails and juvenile detention centers for phone calls. The initiative called for the Board to develop a plan …

DECISION ADOPTING INTERIM RATE RELIEF FOR INCARCERATED PERSON’S CALLING SERVICES

Publication • August 25, 2021

Filed under: Telephone Rates

the imposition of any other type of ancillary fee or service fee not explicitly approved in this decision. This decision applies to all telephone corporations providing intrastate IPCS in the State of California ...

Richard v. Pfister, IL, Judgment, Discrimination Against Disabled Prisoners, 2021

Brief • August 24, 2021

Filed under: Disabled Prisoners, Failure to Treat, Americans with Disabilities Act, Telephone Access

Richard v. Pfister, IL, Judgment, Discrimination Against Disabled Prisoners, 2021 1:17-cv-04677 ILND 450 (Rev.Case: 10/13) Judgment in a Civil ActionDocument #: 185 Filed: 08/24/21 Page 1 of 1 PageID #:2194 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS Richard, Plaintiff(s), Case No. 1:17-cv-04677 Judge Thomas M. …

USA v. Christopher, CA, Criminal Complaint, Smuggling Contraband to Inmates, 2021

Brief • 2021

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Cell Phone Access, Conspiracies, Attempts, Solicitations

my training and experience that cellular telephones are a valued commodity in prison that can also affect the safety and security of the inmates and employees of the institution. I know that CDCR ...

Sonoma County Jail Inmate Telephone and Commissary - Grand Jury Report 2020-2021

Brief • 2021

Filed under: Telephone Rates

of Incarcerated Telephone Access The Sheriff’s Office’s IWT revenue comes mainly from two sources: adding convenience storelevel mark-ups to commissary items, and the jail phone contract commissions. Incarcerated ...