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Historical Texas State Prison phone rates and kickbacks

Same-state long distance rates

Year Collect Prepaid Debit
2019 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes
2018 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes
2017 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.234/min<br>$3.51/15 minutes
2016 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.234/min<br>$3.51/15 minutes
2015 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.234/min<br>$3.51/15 minutes N/A
2014 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.234/min<br>$3.51/15 minutes N/A
2013 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.234/min<br>$3.51/15 minutes N/A
2012 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.234/min<br>$3.51/15 minutes N/A
2011 N/A N/A N/A
2010 N/A N/A N/A
2009 N/A N/A N/A

Interstate long distance rates

Year Collect Prepaid Debit
2019 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes
2018 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes
2017 0.25/min<br>$3.75/15 minutes 0.21/min<br>$3.15/15 minutes 0.21/min<br>$3.15/15 minutes
2016 0.25/min<br>$3.75/15 minutes 0.21/min<br>$3.15/15 minutes 0.21/min<br>$3.15/15 minutes
2015 0.43/min<br>$6.45/15 minutes 0.387/min<br>$5.80/15 minutes N/A
2014 0.43/min<br>$6.45/15 minutes 0.387/min<br>$5.80/15 minutes N/A
2013 0.43/min<br>$6.45/15 minutes 0.387/min N/A
2012 0.43/min<br>$6.45/15 minutes 0.387/min<br>$5.80/15 minutes N/A
2011 N/A N/A N/A
2010 N/A N/A N/A
2009 N/A N/A N/A

Local rates

Year Collect Prepaid Debit
2019 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes
2018 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes 0.06/min<br>$0.90/15 minutes
2017 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.234/min<br>$3.51/15 minutes
2016 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.234/min<br>$3.51/15 minutes
2015 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.234/min<br>$3.51/15 minutes N/A
2014 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.234/min<br>$3.51/15 minutes N/A
2013 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.234/min<br>$3.51/15 minutes N/A
2012 0.26/min<br>$3.90/15 minutes 0.234/min<br>$3.51/15 minutes N/A
2011 N/A N/A N/A
2010 N/A N/A N/A
2009 N/A N/A N/A

Kickbacks

Year Kickbacks paid Companies Notes
2019 $6,760,593.15 CenturyLink
2018 $6,760,593.00 CenturyLink
2017 $6,760,593.15 CenturyLink
2016 $0.00 CenturyLink
2015 $6,760,593.15 CenturyLink
2014 $6,760,593.15 CenturyLink
2013 $6,760,593.15 CenturyLink
2012 $6,760,593.15 CenturyLink
2011 $5,673,568.00
2010 $4,276,006.00
2009 $224,228.00

Historical source documents

State DOC Rates

State DOC Contracts

State DOC Commission Data

County Contracts

 Prison Phone Justice Articles and Documents

2021

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

September: Letter to Governors Cuomo and Hutchinson Regarding Affordable Prison Communication Services

April: California Public Utilities Commission - Ruling Denying PPI Motion to Compel GTL to Respond to Data Requests 4-27-21

March: Comments of Prison Policy Initiative Before the Iowa Utilities Board 03-18-2021

2020

August: 

FCC Public Notice Re Acquisition of Legacy Inmate Communications by Global Tel Link 2020

Agreement between the City and County of San Francisco and Global Tel*Link

July: Report and Order on Remand and Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Federal Communications Commission, 2020

April: Letter to FCC - Protect Incarcerated People, 2020

April - Covid-19:

Letter to US Conference of Mayors - COVID-19 phone costs, 2020

Letter to National Governors Association - COVID-19 phone costs, 2020

Letter to National Sheriffs' Association - COVID-19 phone costs, 2020

February: 

Edovo - Section J Rates and Fees

Securus - J Section Rates and Fees

ICSolutions - Section J Rates and Fees

Jaunary: GTL - Section J Rates and Fees

2019

Highest 2019 Reported Charge for a 15-Minute Call by Facility Location

October: HRDC joins application to file amicus brief in re county inmate telephone services case in CA, HRDC files joint amicus brief

April: HRDC press release on Securus/ICSolutions merger

2017

August: HRDC accuses FCC chairman of having conflict of interest

2016

April: PLN criticizes non-disclosure of Securus employee at FCC hearing on cell phones

January: HRDC's FCC comment mentioned regarding price gouging prisoners' families, Comment regarding prison reforms, HRDC's letter to the FCC mentioned regarding VA DOC's phone rate reduction

2015

October: FCC reforms applauded by HRDC's Campaign for Prison Phone Justice, HRDC's FCC comment on corruption in prison phone industry profiled

January: HRDC's FCC comments mentioned in article on video visitation

2014

November: PLN mentioned in article about FCC action on prison phone rates

October: FCC Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

September: HRDC comment to FCC regarding WA phone rates, FCC Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

January: HRDC response to PayTel comments, HRDC response to FCC caps on prison phone calls

2013:

December: Prison Legal News cover story on the prison phone industry, HRDC comment to FCC on Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

September: PLN/HRDC mentioned in article on FCC prison phone order

April: HRDC reply comment to FCC on Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 

March: HRDC comment to FCC on Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

January: PLN's research on prison phone rates cited in article on FCC hearing

2012

December: FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

October: HRDC response to Global Tel comments 

2011

April: Prison Legal News cover story on the prison phone industry

2007

ApriL: HRDC initial comment to FCC 

 

 

 PLN Coverage of Prison Phone Justice

Florida County Makes Free Jail Phone Calls Available

Loaded on April 1, 2024 published in Prison Legal News April, 2024, page 12
Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates, Securus. Location: Florida.

On October 1, 2023, phone calls became free for some 860 jail detainees at the jail in Florida’s Alachua County, whose Board of Commissioners voted for the change six months earlier. That brought the cost from 21 cents per minute to zero, though for no more than three daily calls. ...

Massachusetts Becomes the Fifth State to Make Prison Phone Calls Free

Loaded on March 1, 2024 published in Prison Legal News March, 2024, page 15
Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Access, Private Phone Contractors. Location: Massachusetts.

Until December 1, 2023, Massachusetts prisoners and their families paid 12 cents per minute for phone calls, 14 cents in jails, though the first 10 minutes there every month were free. That added up to about $25 million annually—money that will now be saved, after the 2024 state budget took ...

Minnesota Prison on Lockdown After Protest Over Dirty Water, Lack of Phone Use and Out-of-Cell Time

Loaded on March 1, 2024 published in Prison Legal News March, 2024, page 52
Filed under: Protests, Exercise, Showers, Water, Lockdowns, Telephone Access. Location: Minnesota.

Over Labor Day weekend 2023, approximately 100 prisoners refused to return to their cells at Minnesota Correctional Facility (MCF) in Stillwater. They were protesting limited access to showers, phones and recreation, which the state Department of Corrections (DOC) blamed on a staff shortage.

The protest lasted seven hours on September ...

Ninth Circuit Revives Challenge by Federal Prisoner in Arizona to BOP’s 300-Minute Monthly Phone Cap

Loaded on Feb. 1, 2024 by David Reutter published in Prison Legal News February, 2024, page 22
Filed under: Retaliatory Transfers, Telephone Access. Location: Arizona.

by David M. Reutter

On July 3, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a district court’s dismissal of a lawsuit challenging a federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) policy that caps a prisoner’s phone calls at a total of 300 minutes per month.

The suit was ...

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