Washington State Prison phone rates and kickbacks

Washington ranks 19th in the nation for the affordability of a 15 minute call.

Kickbacks paid

$5,100,000.00 paid in 2017.

Percentage of call cost going to kickbacks: 51%

Cost of a 15-minute Intrastate Call

	Collect	Prepaid	Debit
Same state	$1.65	$1.65	$1.65
Local	$1.65	$1.65	$1.65

Detailed rates

	Collect	Prepaid	Debit
Same state	0.11/min	0.11/min	0.11/min
Local	0.11/min	0.11/min	0.11/min

Phone service providers

VAC (GTL)

Notes

Rates current as of May 2017. Kickbacks current as of FY2013.

Data current as of 2017-2018

Historical Data for Washington

Primary source documents

State DOC Rates

State DOC Contracts

State DOC Commission Data

WA Phone Kickbacks 2004-2008

County Rates

County Contracts

Court Rulings

Legislation

Kittitas County, WA Resolution Governing Distribution of Telephone Revenues

Administrative Rulings

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

Alaska Prisoners Riot Over Excessive Phone Rates

Loaded on July 20, 2017 by Christopher Zoukis

Filed under: Telephone Rates. Location: Alaska.

by Christopher Zoukis

A disturbance at Alaska's Lemon Creek Correctional Center left a housing unit uninhabitable after prisoners and guards clashed over the prison's excessive telephone rates, a "smartmouth" guard's comments on the subject, and other issues.

According to prisoners formerly housed in the dorm, on October ...

Prison Phone Update: Appellate Court Deals Major Blow to Prisoners and Their Families

Loaded on June 30, 2017 by Carrie Wilkinson published in Prison Legal News July, 2017, page 52

Filed under: Money/Property, Telephones, Telephone Rates. Locations: District of Columbia, United States of America.

by Carrie Wilkinson

In a September 2016 article on the fight for comprehensive prison and jail phone reform, PLN reported that while limits on ancillary fees had been implemented by the FCC, intrastate (in-state) rate caps were stayed by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals after the FCC’s ...

New York: Disciplinary Segregation Settlement Finalized; $1.6 Million in Attorney Fees Awarded

Loaded on June 30, 2017 by Matthew Clarke published in Prison Legal News July, 2017, page 40

Filed under: Food, Reading Materials, Education, Telephone Access, Control Units, Mental Health. Location: New York.

by Matt Clarke

On March 31, 2016, U.S. District Court Judge Shira A. Scheindlin granted final approval to a historic settlement between the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and New York State that will usher in comprehensive reform of disciplinary solitary confinement in the state’s prison system ...

From the Editor

Loaded on June 30, 2017 by Paul Wright published in Prison Legal News July, 2017, page 10

Filed under: Medication, Hepatitis, Telephone Rates. Location: United States of America.

by Paul Wright

For the past 30 years, as mass incarceration rates have skyrocketed, so has the number of prisoners infected with hepatitis C (HCV). This is in part because so many prisoners are current or former intravenous drug users, and so much time and energy is spent arresting and ...