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Jan. 26, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

New prison phone rates to give inmates' families a break

By BRENDAN RILEY
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CARSON CITY -- Families of state prisoners will get a break on charges for phone calls from locked-up relatives under a new contract announced by the Nevada Department of Corrections. But the prices are still high compared with phone call costs on the outside.

The $7.2 million, three-year contract with EMBARQ, a Kansas-based communication services company, covers the entire Nevada prison system, now housing about 13,000 inmates. The company also provides such services to prisons and jails in many other states.

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    • With the EMBARQ system, prison officials say inmates' families will pay $1.45 for a local call lasting 16 minutes, down from $1.89. The $1.45 is a surcharge, and there's no per-minute rate.

    The price jumps for a non-local call within the state to $2.73 for 16 minutes. With a surcharge added in, that's 17 cents a minute. The $2.73 compares with the old charge of $4.48 for the same call.

    Out-of-state calls are down from more than $18 to $16.14 for the same 16-minute call. But that's about $1 a minute, surcharge included, not a lot less than what the outgoing provider, MCI, charged. On the outside, such calls could be made for a few cents a minute with a calling card.

    Prison officials say the contract, up for approval at a Feb. 12 state Board of Examiners meeting, is a good deal for inmates' families -- even though the costs, especially for out-of-state calls, are far above what the general public pays. It's also a good deal for the state, which gets a percentage of the phone system profit.

    "There are complaints due to the rates," prison spokesman Greg Smith said. "A lot of families do complain that it's expensive, but it's an intricate system, it's not cheap...We didn't negotiate this to create more revenue for us."

    The rates charged by MCI had been criticized by an inmates-rights advocacy group that said the prison system was making money through a lucrative profit-sharing clause that gave the prison half the profits. The state's percentage cut from EMBARQ wasn't immediately available.

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    americanprisoner.info wrote on January 27, 2008 03:05 PM: Try the unlimited calling for 125 USD
    www.amricanprisoner.info is offering. They send you a toll free number that rings at any number in the US and abroad you designate.


    moblyw wrote on January 27, 2008 11:57 AM: NEW PRISON PHONE RATES FOR POOR FAMILY MEMBERS!

    WOW! THE PRICE WENT FROM $18.00 FOR A 16 MINUTE PHONE CALL TO $16.14 FOR A 16 MINUTE PHONE CALL. I WONDER WHY A LOT OF OTHER STATES HAVE QUIT THIS RIDICULOUS PHONE CALL RATE RIP OFF TO POOR FAMILY MEMBERS THAT CAN'T EVEN AFFORD A CAR, OR TO PUT FOOD ON THEIR TABLES NOW.


    moblyw wrote on January 27, 2008 10:48 AM: JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW NEVADA PRISONS ARE A BUSINESS!



    PRISONS ARE THE NUMBER TWO BUSINESS IN THE STATE. THE MAJORITY OF THE FOLKS IN PRISON ARE POOR. TAKE MONEY FROM THEIR KIDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS, THAT DON'T EVEN HAVE THE MONEY TO DRIVE TO THE PRISONS BECAUSE, BECAUSE THEIR FINANCIAL PROVIDERS ARE LOCKED AWAY IN THE SYSTEM. THE FAMILY MEMBERS ARE MOSTLY DIRT POOR VICTIMS ALSO. MOST OF THEM ONLY CAN AFFORD TO TALK TO THEIR LOVED ONES IN PRISON ONCE A MONTH, IF EVEN THAT MUCH. THERE ARE NOT MANY WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS IN THE NEVADA PRISON SYSTEM. THE FEW WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS IN NEVADA PRISONS USUALLY GET OUT ON PAROLE, BECAUSE THEY CAN AFFORD HIGH DOLLAR LAWYERS, OR THRU CONNECTIONS THEY GET PARDONED.


    moblyw wrote on January 27, 2008 10:44 AM: JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW NEVADA PRISONS ARE A BUSINESS!

    PRISONS ARE THE NUMBER TWO BUSINESS IN THE STATE. THE MAJORITY OF THE FOLKS IN PRISON ARE POOR. TAKE MONEY FROM THEIR KIDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS, THAT DON'T EVEN HAVE THE MONEY TO DRIVE TO THE PRISONS BECAUSE, BECAUSE THEIR FINANCIAL PROVIDERS ARE LOCKED AWAY IN THE SYSTEM. THE FAMILY MEMBERS ARE MOSTLY DIRT POOR VICTIMS ALSO. MOST OF THEM ONLY CAN AFFORD TO TALK TO THEIR LOVED ONES IN PRISON ONCE A MONTH, IF EVEN THAT MUCH. THERE ARE NOT MANY WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS IN THE NEVADA PRISON SYSTEM. THE FEW WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS IN NEVADA PRISONS USUALLY GET OUT ON PAROLE, BECAUSE THEY CAN AFFORD HIGH DOLLAR LAWYERS, OR THRU CONNECTIONS THEY GET PARDONED.


    DJ2 wrote on January 26, 2008 11:23 PM: It would be interesting to see a specific break-down of how every dollar taken in (by this monopoly's price-gouging set-up) is divided up between the co-conspiring parties involved in the take.

    And if you think those quotes sound unnecessarily exorbitant, they are dwarfed by the rates charged for collect calls out of the prison.

    Heaven forbid you should accept one of those collect calls by mistake, thinking it could be someone you know in trouble. By the time you figure out that caller is not the "Harold" you mistook him for, you've been socked with an unbelievably large bill and no recourse but to pay.


    Geneise Alterman wrote on January 26, 2008 02:32 PM: The inmate phone system does NOT have to be so expensive, even with this new system. Please check out Nebraska, the state that accepts no kickbacks, which seriously harms inmate families. That state believes it's immoral to make money off people who are already suffering. They believe in the importance of family support to the rehibilitation of inmates. The prison phone system is no more intricate than any other, and not more expensive to support. I don't mind Nevada making money off my unhappiness, but I don't believe that I should be penalized at a dollar a minute, plus a $5.00 connection fee, or $35.00 for 30 minutes. Nevada, make a little money, but don't make a "killing" off the person that I love. You are not punishing the inmate, you are hurtng the families and loved ones who are on fixed incomes and doing the best they can to survive. The love and support that I give my husband makes him a better inmate, a team-player, a good citizen of the future when he is able to come home. Shame on the system that feels they have to make such a huge amount off the unfortunat4es to support the prison budget. If Nevada can't support the Dept. of Corrections out of the regular state budget, without the exorbitant phone charges, it needs to be more reasonable with the parole practices. Let out the inmates who have served well behaved, and long terms, and make room for the new and dangerous felons. Thank you.


    CPS wrote on January 26, 2008 10:39 AM: THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY PHONE CALLS FROM ANY ONE IN JAIL,THEY ARE THERE FOR DOING WRONG AND THE PEOPLE THAT THEY DID WRONG TO CAN SLEEP MUCH BETTER AT NIGHT KNOWING THAT THE LITTLE BAS.... CANT CALL THEM SAYING "IAM GOING TO GET YOU" SCUM BAGS


    Herb wrote on January 26, 2008 10:26 AM: I would like to see the opposite, raise the price of phone calls even higher. In particular the wives and girlfriends of criminals should pay sky high phone rates. These criminal loving women are pure evil, if they didn't give their love and support to criminals the crime rate would fall down to near zero.


    JohnFlipLockup wrote on January 26, 2008 08:02 AM: When you are in the Hospital, 95% of the time you did not choose to be there. When you are in Jail, that is because of your choice.
    Here's a novel idea--stay out of Jail and you can buy your envelopes in Staples for a nickel and call your family for a quarter. And please remember that the taxpayers are paying for your food, medical, A/C, etc., so you will be saving everyone else a lot of money!


    Geezelouise wrote on January 26, 2008 07:29 AM: No matter how you slice it, these exhorbitant rates for phone calls amount to an unfair and impartial TAX being imposed on the families of inmates.

    Since the State gets a share of the profits, this TAX should be approved by the Legsilature just like any other TAX and should be paid by all Nevadans, not just those who have loved ones incarcerated.

    Shame on Nevada for circumventing the constitution to impose this TAX.


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