New bill proposing free phone calls for those behind bars
MARYLAND – For those behind bars connection to the outside can be difficult due to phone call costs.
New legislation in Maryland aims to remove that cost. 47 ABC spoke with one mom who says this could make all the difference.
“Prisoners should not be forced to pay the price of their own incarceration. And so allowing free phone calls is consistent with how we treat everything else behind the wall,” said Senator Jeff Waldstriecher.
Senator Jeff Waldstreicher proposing new rules in Maryland surrounding a basic communication need. “We don’t charge prisoners a nightly rate for their bed. We don’t charge them for their food. We don’t charge them for the soup that they use. We don’t charge them for most things in prison,” said Senator Waldstreicher.
Jamesina Greene’s son is an inmate at Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover, she says calls are often staticky and hard to hear clearly. “It’s a very stressful situation for the family members who have loved ones who are incarcerated. And the cost, I just think, is ridiculous,” said Jamesina Greene.
To put that cost in perspective: “On the tablet, they can send you text messages. You can receive text messages. Each text message is $0.20,” Greene explains.
Phone call rates vary depending on the length of the call. If the phone calls are free both Greene and Senator Waldstriecher believe it’s one less concern inmates and families have to worry about. Ultimately, setting inmates up in the right direction. “If you have a whole bunch of people inside of a prison who are anxious and upset and worried about their loved ones, but that’s just adding to the hostility and the environment,” said Greene. “When inmates are able to call their family members, call their loved ones, it keeps them connected to their community. And so when they go home and are ready for reentry, 37 it helps them get out of the life that they were in before and make sure that they don’t recidivate in our community again,” said Senator Waldstriecher.
The senator’s office says there is no opposition to the bill. The next step will be for the House and Senate committees to take a vote on the bill.
Jamesina Greene runs an organization, A Mothers Cry. It’s set out to help mothers impacted by the criminal justice system you can email her to get involved.
