Prison Phone Justice

State of Minnesota

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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
102 STATE CAPITOL

LORI SWANSON

ST. PAUL, MN 55155

ATTORNEY GENERAL

TELEPHONE: (651) 296-6196

September 23, 2016

Paul Wright, Executive Director
Pluman Rights Defense Center
P.O. Box 1151

Lake Worth, FL 33460

Dear Mr. Wright:

This week Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson led a multi-state coalition in filing
the attached Amicus Brief in support of FCC rules to reform predatory telephone rates for inmate
phone calls.

We are aware that your organization filed comments with the FCC on the matter and
thought you may be interested in this.
Sincerely,

Benjamin Wogsland
(651)296-2069

Facsimile: (651) 297-4193 • TTY: (651) 297-7206

An Equal Opportunity Employer Who Values Diversity

Toll Free Lines: (800) 657-3787 (Voice), (800) 366-4812 (TTY) • www.ag.statc.mn.us

OPrinted on 50% recycled paper (15% post consumer content)

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State of Minnesota
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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
102 STATE CAPITOL

LORI SWANSON
ATTORNEY GENERAL

ST.PAUL, MN 55135
TELEPHONE: (651) 296-6196

For Immediate Release
Monday, September 19, 2016

Contact: Ben Wogsland (651) 296-2069

AG SWANSON LEADS MULTI-STATE COALITION IN LEGAL BRIEF OPPOSING
PREDATORY PRICING OF PHONE CALLS FROM INMATES TO FAMILY

StudiesShow Telephone Contact With Family and Outside Support Improves Chances of
Rehabilitation and Promotes Public Safety

Attorney General Lori Swanson today lead a multi-state coalition filing an Amicus Brief
with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in support of new federal
rules that limit the rates that can be charged for phone calls between incarcerated individuals and
their families, friends, clergy, and outside supporters.

Phone companies that contract with prisons and jails to provide phone service have a
captive market, allowing them to charge exorbitant rates and fees that can add up to $8 per
minute. While one national phone company offers regular customers unlimited local and long
distance calling for $32.99 per month, some families of inmates report paying prison phone
companies fifteen times that, or $500 per month, according to the brief.

"Telephone contact between incarcerated individuals and family, friends, and others
helps to establish the support mechanisms necessar}' for offeniiers to succeed after their release,
promotes public safety, improves outcomes for offenders' children, and assists in the creation of
stable families," Swanson wrote in the brief.

Since most inmates are housed in facilities at least 100 miles from their homes, telephone

calls remain one of the primary ways for families to remain connected during incarceration. Yet,
the cost of prison phone calls has long been a roadblock to regular contact between incarcerated
individuals and family and other outside support. The cost of telephone contact was cited by
nearly 40 percent of jail inmates and their families as a "significant barrier to communication."
The brief cites numerous studies showing that telephone contact between inmates and

family and outside support during incarceration is associated with lower recidivism rates and
higher success rates for post-incarceration rehabilitation and employment.

"These predatory rates have resulted in families using substantial portions of their
monthly incomes to maintain telephone contact with loved ones," Swanson wrote in the brief. A
mother who lives on a $900 monthly disability check reported paying more than 20 percent of
her monthly income to keep in touch with her mentally ill son. A grandmother reported paying
$1,000 a year to talk to her grandson.

Facsimile: (651) 297-4193 • TTY. (651)297-7206 • Toll Free Lines: (800) 657-3787 (Voice), (800) 366-4812 (TTY) • wvvw.ag.state.mn.us

An Equal Opportunity Employer Who Values Diversity

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%5Printed on 50% recycled paper (15',V post consumer content)

Over 2.7 million children in the United States are estimated to have a parent behind
bars. One incarcerated Minnesota father told the FCC that:

"I want to be able to raise my child even if it's over the phone for the time
being. I would love to be in her life as much as possible, but it's hard to do so
whenthe phone [price] is steadily climbing higher and higher. I know I'm paying
my debt to society for my crime, but I need to stay in contact with family."

"States have a significantinterest in breakingthe cycle of recidivism. Reduced recidivism
means fewer victims of crime and reduced public expense from incarceration," Swansonwrote in
the brief, which was joined by the states of New Mexico, Illinois, Washington, New York, and
Massachusetts, as well as Washington D.C.

The Federal Communication Commission ("FCC") issued an order banning exorbitant
fees and limiting telephone rates from state and federal prisons to 13 cents per minute and jails to
between 19 and 31 cents per minute depending on size. The FCC order also banned numerous
fees, such as connection charges, and limited other fees to the actual cost of delivering the
service. The billion dollar prison phone system industry sued to block the new rules, and the
matter is now pending before the appeals court.
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