[ [link removed] ]Martha Wright Act 

[ [link removed] ]ADD YOUR NAME NOW!

 

Dear John, 

Incarcerated people and their loved ones deserve to stay connected.
Period. 

While tens of millions are getting vaccinated and re-connecting with loved
ones after spending so much time apart, incarcerated people around the
country are still unable to see family and friends because of in-person
visitation restrictions. 

Another common way for families to regularly stay in touch with their
incarcerated loved ones is via phone and video calls — but prison telecom
corporations like Securus and GTL charge families as much as $16 for a
15-minute phone call.^1

This creates a huge financial burden on families during normal times, but
the impact has been exacerbated because of the pandemic, making it even
tougher for them to stay connected.

We can stop this. Earlier this month, a group of 13 Democratic and
Republican Senators co-sponsored the Martha Wright-Reed Just and
Reasonable Communications Act. The act would give the FCC the authority to
fight back against predatory practices from prison telecom companies,
allowing incarcerated people to connect with their families without
causing financial instability. A previous version of this bill passed in
the House of Representatives in 2020,^2 yet never made it to the Senate
floor.

John, we need your help now to keep families connected. [ [link removed] ]Sign
the petition to call on your member of Congress to pass the Martha
Wright-Reed Act.

[ [link removed] ]ADD YOUR NAME NOW!

John, prison profiteering off of incarcerated people and Black
pain isn’t just about ridiculously expensive phone rates. Preying on
families via hiked up telephone and video calls is a $1.4 billion
industry,^3 but this type of exploitation of incarcerated people and their
loved ones is not isolated to just the telecom sector. Over 4,000
corporations^4 across industries are raking in billions of dollars each
year and their prison-profiteering tactics target and hurt Black and
low-income families the most.

Mass incarceration is a big business — and it takes money from some of the
most vulnerable families and communities in our country and gives it to
those who have the most to gain by keeping jails, prisons, and detention
centers packed. We have to stop this profiteering to protect our families
and to remove the motivations of corporate America to protect the system
as it is.

[ [link removed] ]Add your name now to tell Congress to regulate and to stop these
prison-profiteering telecom companies from exploiting incarcerated people
and their families.

John, here is why this issue is so important: One in three
families have to go into debt just to talk with their loved ones, and that
is unconscionable. The financial impact on the families of incarcerated
individuals is already too steep without having to deal with price gouging
from telecommunications companies. A majority of these families already
face financial hardships — being forced to pay substantially for phone
calls makes their situation untenable.^5

We know it doesn't have to be this way. Recently, cities like Dallas^6 and
New York City^7 have either significantly reduced the cost of jail calls
or eliminated the fees entirely. Los Angeles^8 has recently announced that
they are considering making calls free as well so people who
are incarcerated can more easily stay in touch with friends and
family. Now is our chance to make phone justice happen on a national level
— and now more than ever, families and loved ones need to stay connected.

[ [link removed] ]Add your name: Demand Congress pass the Martha Wright-Reed Act and keep
families connected!

Tell your Senator to do their part to support the Martha Wright-Reed Just
and Reasonable Communications Act. Your voice is crucial in the fight to
keep families connected.

Until Justice is Real,

Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Malachi, Erika, Megan, Ernie, Palika, Madison,
Ariel, Trevor, Ana, McKayla, Erick, and the rest of the Color Of Change
team.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

References:

 1. “[ [link removed] ]Connect Families Now.” Connectfamiliesnow.com.
 2. “[ [link removed] ]Rush’s Prison Phone Justice Act Passes House.” The Office of
Congressman Bobby Rush, May 15, 2020. 
 3. “[ [link removed] ]Punishment & Profit: Telecom.” WNYC, March 23, 2021.
 4. “[ [link removed] ]New Report Names Nearly 4,000 Companies Profiting Off of Private
Prison Industry.” CommonDreams.org, April 30, 2019.
 5. “[ [link removed] ]Who Pays? The True Cost of Incarceration on Families.”
WhoPaysReport.Org.
 6. “[ [link removed] ]Forgoing Profits, Dallas County Slashes The Cost Of Phone Calls
From Jail.” Keranews.org, February 20, 2020. 
 7. “[ [link removed] ]Phone Calls From New York City Jails Will Soon Be Free.” New York
Times, August 6, 2018.
 8. “[ [link removed] ]LA County considers making expensive jail calls free.” Pasadena
Star News, May 18, 2021.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please
help keep our movement strong.

[ [link removed] ]Make a Donation

<style type="text/css">

blockquote .original-only,
.WordSection1 .original-only
{
display: none !important;
}

</style>

<div class=".original-only">

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
</div>