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Washington State Prison phone rates and kickbacks

Washington ranks 24th 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

 

 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

Imagine Pleading Guilty Because You Can’t Afford to Call Your Lawyer

Loaded on Feb. 19, 2019 by Victoria Law
Filed under: Jail Specific, Money/Property, Telephone Rates, First Amendment, rights. Locations: Arkansas, California, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, United States of America.

By Victoria Law, Truthout

Imagine paying $20.12 for a 15-minute phone call. That’s how much a call from the Jennings Adult Correctional Facility in Missouri costs.

In 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set price caps on interstate calls from jails, prisons and detention facilities. Now, interstate calls can ...

Texas Prison System Cuts Phone Rates Over 75 Percent; Rates Drop in Other States, Too

Loaded on Feb. 5, 2019 by Matthew Clarke published in Prison Legal News February, 2019, page 50
Filed under: Telephone Rates. Location: Texas.

by Matt Clarke

In a monthly meeting held in the ballroom of an Austin hotel on August 24, 2018, the Texas Board of Criminal Justice – the agency that establishes rules by which the Texas prison and parole systems operate – voted unanimously to reduce the cost of phone calls ...

New York City Council Passes Ordinance to Make All Jail Phone Calls Free

Loaded on Dec. 5, 2018 by Derek Gilna published in Prison Legal News December, 2018, page 34
Filed under: Telephone Rates. Location: New York.

by Derek Gilna

On July 18, 2018 the New York City Council passed Introduction No. 741-A, which ended the practice of telecom companies profiting from providing phone services for prisoners at inflated rates. Instead, all domestic calls made from the city’s jail system, including the Rikers Island complex, will be ...

New Jersey Federal Court Certifies Class-Action Suit Against Global*Tel Link

Loaded on Dec. 5, 2018 by Derek Gilna published in Prison Legal News December, 2018, page 20
Filed under: Class Certification, Telephone Rates. Location: New Jersey.

by Derek Gilna

The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has certified a class-action lawsuit against Global Tel*Link (GTL), one of the nation’s largest prison telecom companies. According to the court, the plaintiffs – including prisoners and their family members – alleged violations of the ...

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