Watson Coleman Supports Lower Rates for Prison Phone Calls
For Immediate Release
Ewing, NJ (April 10, 2015) ― Today, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) issued the following statement after the New Jersey Department of Corrections confirmed a contract with the potential to lower prison and jail phone rates:
“Many families dealing with a loved one in prison or jail already face difficult circumstances, like smaller household budgets and the mental and emotional hardship of physical separation. The exorbitant costs associated with calls from New Jersey jails and prisons place an added, unfair, and unnecessary burden on these families. I’m encouraged by the potential for lower call rates, and I’m hopeful this will be outcome.
“I fought to address this issue in the General Assembly, and I’ve continued those efforts at the federal level. We need a prison system in New Jersey and nationwide that focuses on rehabilitation and reducing recidivism. Giving inmates the ability to stay in touch with their families is a critical element of improving the system.”
Earlier this year, Watson Coleman sent a letter commending the Federal Communications Commission for new efforts to regulate private companies that provide interstate telephone service for prison and jail inmates. A 2011 report by the Vera Institute of Justice suggests that incarcerated individuals who maintained supportive relationships with family members had better outcomes when they returned to their communities.