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Prison Phone Justice
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Washington State Prison phone rates and kickbacks

Washington ranks 26th in the nation for the affordability of a 15 minute call.

Kickbacks paid

$3,856,229.00 paid in 2017.

Percentage of call cost going to kickbacks: 56%

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

Notes

Data current as of Jan 2019

Data current as of 2017-2018

Historical Data for Washington

Primary source documents

State DOC Rates

State DOC Contracts

State DOC Commission Data

County Rates

County Contracts

Court Rulings

Legislation

Administrative Rulings

 Prison Phone Justice Articles and Documents

 2019

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

$225,000 Windfall in Lehigh County, Pa. But Officials Don’t Cut Jail Phone Costs

Loaded on Nov. 1, 2020 by David Reutter published in Prison Legal News November, 2020, page 36
Filed under: COVID-19, Telephone Rates. Location: Pennsylvania.

by David M. Reutter

Renegotiation of its jail telephone contract netted Pennsylvania’s Lehigh County an unbudgeted $225,000 windfall. Mark Pinsley, the county comptroller, urged county officials to put that “revenue back into efforts to aid those held in the county jail.”

Pinsley’s March 5, 2020, letter noted that research shows ...

San Francisco Eliminates Fees on Jail Phone Calls

Loaded on Sept. 1, 2020 by Mark Wilson published in Prison Legal News September, 2020, page 38
Filed under: Commissary, Telephone Rates. Location: California.

by Mark Wilson

We are never again going to take a commission or make money off of products and services provided to incarcerated people and their support networks, their families,” declared Anne Stuhldreher, director of the San Francisco Treasurer’s Financial Justice Project, as she  announced the county’s unanimous July 14, ...

Dallas County, Texas Jails Finally Enter the 21st Century on Phone Rates

Loaded on Sept. 1, 2020 by Edward Lyon published in Prison Legal News September, 2020, page 53
Filed under: Telephone Rates. Location: Texas.

by Ed Lyon

Until February 18, 2020, it cost pre- and post-trial detainees in the Dallas County, Texas jails .24¢ per minute to speak to their families on the phone. Urged by criminal justice reform groups and the citizenry, the Dallas County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to forgo any and ...

Families Accuse Arkansas Prison of Poor Communication on COVID-19 Prisoners

Loaded on Aug. 1, 2020 by Kevin Bliss published in Prison Legal News August, 2020, page 40
Filed under: Medical Records, COVID-19, Telephone Access. Location: Arkansas.

by Kevin Bliss

Arkansas’ Cummins Unit prison facility had 11 confirmed deaths due to coronavirus as of June 9, 2020. Families were concerned over a lack of communication and delayed notification from the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADOC), often not knowing their loved ones lives were in danger until it ...

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