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. Sign the petition to call on your member of Congress to pass the Martha Wright-Reed Act.
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 corporations4 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.
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 Dallas6 and New York City7 have either significantly reduced the cost of jail calls or eliminated the fees entirely. Los Angeles8 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.
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:
- “Connect Families Now.” Connectfamiliesnow.com.
- “Rush’s Prison Phone Justice Act Passes House.” The Office of Congressman Bobby Rush, May 15, 2020.
- “Punishment & Profit: Telecom.” WNYC, March 23, 2021.
- “New Report Names Nearly 4,000 Companies Profiting Off of Private Prison Industry.” CommonDreams.org, April 30, 2019.
- “Who Pays? The True Cost of Incarceration on Families.” WhoPaysReport.Org.
- “Forgoing Profits, Dallas County Slashes The Cost Of Phone Calls From Jail.” Keranews.org, February 20, 2020.
- “Phone Calls From New York City Jails Will Soon Be Free.” New York Times, August 6, 2018.
- “LA County considers making expensive jail calls free.” Pasadena Star News, May 18, 2021.
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.
