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Washington State Prison phone rates and kickbacks

Washington ranks 20th 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

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

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

Mississippi DOC Announces Phone Rate Cuts

Loaded on June 8, 2018 by Monte McCoin published in Prison Legal News June, 2018, page 49
Filed under: Telephone Rates. Location: Mississippi.

by Monte McCoin

The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) announced on March 17, 2018 that phone calls from state prisons would be less expensive for prisoners and their families, effective immediately.

“The reduced rate will make services even more accessible and affordable for inmates’ families and loved ones,” Commissioner ...

Nebraska Sheriffs Profiting from Jail Phone Contracts

Loaded on May 8, 2018 by Christopher Zoukis published in Prison Legal News May, 2018, page 58
Filed under: Telephone Rates. Location: Nebraska.

by Christopher Zoukis

The ACLU of Nebraska issued a report on November 30, 2017 detailing the cost of telephone calls made from county jails in the state, concluding that phone rates remain “unconscionably” expensive. Profits for some sheriffs are so high that the ACLU compared the practice to “for-profit debtors’ ...

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 ...

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