Families saved $622 million when prison calls became free

Roughly 330,000 incarcerated people in the United States, about 15 percent of the prison and jail population, now have access to free phone calls, video calls, or messaging, according to a new report from the nonprofit Worth Rises. The report tracked six state prison systems, including California, New York, and the federal system, alongside more than a dozen county jails in Los Angeles, New York City, and Massachusetts. When agencies contracted directly with telecom providers instead of using revenue-sharing deals, costs fell about 62 percent in state systems and 68 percent in jails. Families have saved more than $622 million, most of it in Black and brown households. Daily call time per person in prisons climbed from roughly 25 minutes to nearly 45. In jails, it more than doubled. People used the extra minutes for the ordinary family news that never quite felt worth three dollars a minute. Staff reported that tensions inside dropped too.