A push is rising in Massachusetts for reforms to a program that gives inmates with limitless, free cellphone calls, an initiative that put Bay State taxpayers on the hook for about $12.5 million final fiscal yr.
Massachusetts Home Republicans are requesting a probe into this system as a part of the state Inspector Common’s investigation of state sheriff spending and compensation ranges, demanding a “more fiscally constrained and sustainable alternative.”
A invoice that Gov. Maura Healey signed into regulation in late 2023 requires the state Division of Correction and all state sheriffs’ workplaces to offer inmates with entry to pc tablets and cellphone calls, freed from cost to each the particular person initiating and receiving the communication.
“Over the last two years, participation in this program has increased dramatically,” Home Republicans wrote in a letter to IG Jeffrey Shapiro, “but so too have the associated financial costs and operational challenges impacting our state and county correctional facilities and state prisons.”
Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux has stated that the so-called “No Cost Communications” program price taxpayers about $12.5 million for all sheriffs’ workplaces throughout the state final fiscal yr, together with about $2 million on the jail he oversees in southeastern Massachusetts.
The sheriff has stated that his workplace is contemplating renegotiating lower-rate contracts with cellphone suppliers, however decreasing prices “doesn’t address the other unintended consequences associated with the law.”
Home Republicans are asking the Inspector Common to assessment the “utilization and increased costs associated with providing communication services to incarcerated individuals” stemming from this system.
They’re urgent for “significant reforms,” together with limiting the period and/or frequency of inmate cellphone calls. Enhancements may be certain that the Division of Correction and sheriffs proceed to prioritize the “rehabilitation of inmates” in academic, vocational and behavioral programming.
“None of us dispute some of the benefits of incarcerated individuals being able to remain in contact with their loved ones while in prison,” Home Republicans wrote of their letter, “but the negative consequences of allowing unlimited communication are undeniable.”
“In addition to the growing fiscal challenges of maintaining this program,” they added, “we are also concerned about how the no-cost calls law has led to a dramatic reduction in inmate participation in state-funded re-entry programs.”
The Inspector Common’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a Herald request for remark.
Earlier than the limitless, free program, the Division of Correction charged 12 cents per minute for calls, whereas county jails charged 14 cents per minute. Whoever obtained the decision can be charged.
In 2021, Massachusetts sheriffs agreed to offer inmates 10 minutes of free cellphone calls every week.
“No cost calls will alleviate the financial burden and remove barriers for an individual in MA DOC custody to stay connected with their outside support system,” former DOC Commissioner Carol Mici stated in a press release on the time Healey instituted this system. “Strong family support helps to advance the rehabilitative process, reduces recidivism, and contributes to successful reentry upon release.”
The Bay State joined Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado and California in making jail cellphone calls freed from cost.
Heroux has identified the “unintended consequences” of the regulation, together with how some inmates in Bristol County have talked on the cellphone “so much” that they’ve determined to forgo numerous programming.
The Bristol County jail, the sheriff has stated, has additionally seen a rise in witness intimidation, violations of restraining orders, and alternatives for inmates to “plan criminal activity.”
“The ‘No Cost Communication’ law is a law I support,” Heroux stated in a press release final month, “but recognize needs to be amended. Inmates who lose contact with family and friends have increased barriers to successful reentry and increased recidivism.”
Heroux is teaming up with state Rep. Adam Scanlon, a North Attleboro Democrat, on laws that would offer inmates a minimal of quarter-hour of calls, however not more than 60 minutes, every day, whereas permitting discretion on the period of calls at correctional amenities.
“Ensuring that incarcerated individuals can maintain contact with their loved ones is vital for rehabilitation and reentry,” Scanlon, whose district additionally contains Mansfield and Attleboro, stated in a press release. “But the current system, with unlimited calls, has created unsustainable costs for county sheriffs and taxpayers.”
“This bill strikes a fair balance,” he added, “protecting the right to stay connected while keeping the program financially sustainable.”
