Pennsylvania State Prison phone rates and kickbacks

Pennsylvania ranks 12nd in the nation for the affordability of a 15 minute call.

Kickbacks paid

$3,470,852.00 paid in 2017.

Percentage of call cost going to kickbacks: 59-60%

Cost of a 15-minute Intrastate Call

	Collect	Prepaid	Debit
Same state	$0.90	$0.90	$0.90
Local	$0.90	$0.90	$0.90

Detailed rates

	Collect	Prepaid	Debit
Same state	0.06/min	0.06/min	0.06/min
Local	0.06/min	0.06/min	0.06/min

Phone service providers

Securus

Notes

Rates current as of May 2017.
Kickbacks from FY2012.

Data current as of 2017-2018

Historical Data for Pennsylvania

Primary source documents

State DOC Rates

State DOC Contracts

State DOC Commission Data

Key Prison Phone Documents

PLN Dec. 2013 cover story on the prison phone industry

PLN April 2011 cover story on the prison phone industry

HRDC comment to FCC re WA phone rates Sept. 2014

HRDC response to PayTel comments Jan. 2014

HRDC comment to FCC on FNPRM Dec. 2013

HRDC comment to FCC on NPRM March 2013

HRDC reply comment to FCC on NPRM April 2013

HRDC response to Global Tel comments Oct. 2012

HRDC initial comment to FCC April 2007

FCC Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - Oct. 2014

FCC Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - Sept. 2013

FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - Dec. 2012

Prison Phone Related News

Exclusive: Photos Show Aftermath of Lethal South Carolina Prison Brawl that Left Seven Dead

Loaded on April 16, 2018 by Steve Horn

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Rates. Location: South Carolina.

by Steve Horn

WARNING: This article contains graphic images.

Photos obtained by Prison Legal News appear to reveal the bloody aftermath of a riot that occurred at the Lee Correctional Institution in South Carolina around 7:15 p.m. on April 15. The violence, which culminated in the deaths of ...

Securus Fined $1.7 Million for Providing Inaccurate Information, FCC Approves Company Transfer Anyway

Loaded on April 2, 2018 by Christopher Zoukis published in Prison Legal News April, 2018, page 54

Filed under: Contractor Misconduct, Telephone Rates. Location: United States of America.

by Christopher Zoukis

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) slapped Securus Technologies with a $1.7 million fine for providing misleading and inaccurate information as part of its application to transfer control to another company, but still approved the transfer on October 30, 2017.

Securus, one of the nation’s largest providers ...

Tablets and E-messaging Services Expand in Prisons and Jails, as do Fees

Loaded on April 2, 2018 by Edward Lyon, Matthew Clarke published in Prison Legal News April, 2018, page 44

Filed under: Computers, Telephone Access. Locations: Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota.

by Matt Clarke and Ed Lyon

Global Tel*Link (GTL), one of the largest prison and jail phone service providers in the United States, has steadily expanded into other services that target corrections agencies. The telecom firm is now competing with Securus Technologies for a share of a lucrative and ...

Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Deaf Former Prisoner’s ADA Claims

Loaded on April 2, 2018 published in Prison Legal News April, 2018, page 32

Filed under: Deaf Prisoners, Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, Interpreters, Telephone Access. Location: Oregon.

Jail officials “may not turn a blind eye to a deaf ear,” the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit fittingly declared in an August 31, 2017 ruling that reversed a summary judgment order in a lawsuit filed by a deaf former prisoner.

David Updike was born unable to ...