Today UCC Media Justice announced the release of its new report: Ensuring Access to Quality Communications for Incarcerated People: Options for Advocates and State Legislators.
This report is the next step in UCC Media Justice’s ongoing work to help incarcerated people and their families obtain access to fair, affordable, high-quality communications. UCC Media Justice has focused on federal efforts in the U.S. Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to regulate rates, trying to bring them to reasonable levels. At the same time, advocates around the country have begun to successfully persuade states to take on the full cost of calling—meaning incarcerated people and their families pay nothing. This is a tremendous victory that has taken the work of advocates around the country pressing for just treatment and for keeping families together during difficult times.
UCC Media Justice chose to write this report to aid in the efforts at the state level and potentially in the federal government because, as victory comes in the form of lower rates or free communication, in some cases, other challenges arise. Where advocates have successfully brought down rates or free calling is adopted, the amount of calling goes up. Sometimes, unfortunately, call quality has gone down. For example, Empowering Women, an organization representing the interests of families of incarcerated people, did a survey that identified serious concerns, including callers who hear other conversations, overwhelming static, and dropped calls.
This report aims to get ahead of this problem as reforms are adopted around the country by offering incarcerated people and their families, grassroots organizations and state legislators or other government officials, such as state regulators, models to protect call quality.
The report identifies problems and solutions, covering areas such as:
- Quality Service Standards
- Contract Procurement Practices
- Reporting Requirements
- Enforcement
The report includes four appendices with language that can be adopted in state legislation or regulation. It also summarizes the existing free calling state laws in easy-to-use summary charts.
The report is released just in time for state legislators to begin preparing legislative proposals for pre-filing for legislative sessions starting in January 2025. You can read the full report here.
United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry would like to thank Georgetown Law’s Communications and Technology Clinic for assistance in preparing this report, especially student attorneys Azam Chaudry and Lana Wynn. Learn more about our work on communications justice for incarcerated people here.