Staying connected with incarcerated loved ones is expensive, with families often spending hundreds of dollars monthly. Despite recent FCC regulations capping call rates, many families still face financial and emotional strain. Here’s what you need to know:
- Call Costs: Audio calls now cost $0.06–$0.12 per minute, depending on facility size. Video calls range from $0.11–$0.25 per minute.
- Financial Burden: Families spend $400–$500 monthly on calls, with 1 in 3 going into debt.
- Emotional Impact: Limited communication fosters anxiety and mistrust for incarcerated individuals and their families.
- Who It Affects Most: 87% of those bearing the financial burden are Black and Latina women.
While new regulations offer some relief, unregulated services like video calls and messaging still exploit families. Advocacy and further reforms are essential to reduce this burden and prioritize family connections over profits.
The Hidden Price Of Prison: Calls Cost Inmates’ Families
The Impact on Families
Financial Struggles
For many families, staying connected with incarcerated loved ones comes at a steep price. Shockingly, one in three families goes into debt just to cover communication costs. Among those affected, 87% are Black and Latina women who often act as the main point of contact for their incarcerated relatives [4].
| Call Type | Cost per Minute | Monthly Cost (30 mins daily) |
|---|---|---|
| Prison Calls | $0.14 | $126 |
| Large Jails | $0.16 | $144 |
| Small Jails | $0.21 | $189 |
Emotional Strain
When families can’t afford regular calls, it creates emotional rifts. This lack of connection often leads to anxiety and mistrust for those behind bars. To make matters worse, families are stuck with service providers chosen by the facilities, leaving them no option to shop for more affordable rates. The frustration of being locked into these expensive systems adds to the emotional toll.
Real-Life Stories
One mother shared how she had to choose between buying groceries and paying for phone calls with her children’s incarcerated father. As a result, she reduced the number of calls, which deeply affected her children emotionally. Video calls, priced between $0.11 and $0.25 per minute, only add to the burden – costing up to $7.50 for a 30-minute session [5][6].
Research shows that regular communication can improve mental health and even enhance jail safety [1]. But the high costs and limited choices keep families in a cycle of financial and emotional hardship, hitting low-income households the hardest.
These challenges make it clear that the current system prioritizes profit over family connection, and there’s an urgent need for change.
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Current Prison Communication Services
Service Providers and Commissions
Prison communication services are built around a profit-driven system. Facilities often receive up to 60% of the call charges, while providers retain the rest for profits and operational expenses. This setup eliminates competition, leaving families with no choice but to pay high rates. These inflated costs not only burden families financially but also add emotional strain, as many are forced to cut back on essentials just to maintain contact with their loved ones.
Regulatory Gaps
The FCC has introduced caps on phone call rates, but video calls and electronic messaging remain outside these regulations. For example, video calls can cost up to $2 per session, and electronic messages may be priced at $0.50 each [3]. While these caps are a step forward, providers often shift their focus to unregulated services to maintain profits, effectively bypassing the restrictions on phone call charges [2].
The current rules fail to address newer communication technologies, leaving families to bear the brunt of high costs. Without broader regulations covering all platforms, financial barriers remain a significant challenge [3]. Solving this issue requires reforms that ensure fair pricing and better access for families.
Solutions and Advocacy
Policy Changes
In 2025, the FCC introduced new regulations to address prison communication costs, setting strict rate limits based on facility type. For prisons and large jails, audio calls now cost no more than $0.06 per minute, while video calls are capped at $0.16 and $0.11 per minute, depending on the facility type [5].
| Facility Type | Audio Call Rate (per min) | Video Call Rate (per min) |
|---|---|---|
| Prisons & Large Jails | $0.06 | $0.16/$0.11 |
| Medium Jails | $0.07 | $0.12 |
| Small Jails | $0.09 | $0.14 |
| Very Small Jails | $0.12 | $0.25 |
Implementation timelines vary: larger facilities began adopting these changes in January 2025, while smaller ones followed in April 2025.
Using Advocacy Tools
Digital advocacy is playing a growing role in driving reforms. Tools like Impact Justice AI use artificial intelligence to help families craft personalized, data-backed messages for policymakers. By combining personal stories with hard data, this platform helps advocates highlight the burden of communication costs on families and push for meaningful change [5].
Community and Stakeholder Involvement
Digital tools are vital, but real progress requires collaboration among families, advocacy groups, policymakers, and prison officials. Groups like the Prison Policy Initiative have been instrumental in exposing the financial strain on families and pressuring regulators to act [1]. Their work contributed to the FCC’s recent changes, including the removal of extra fees for services like account deposits [5].
Families can play a key role by tracking their communication expenses, joining advocacy organizations, and reaching out to representatives using tools like Impact Justice AI. By pairing policy reforms with grassroots action, there’s potential to create a system that values family connections over profit.
Conclusion: Improving Communication
Key Takeaways
Recent FCC regulations have helped lower communication costs, easing the financial burden on many families. Black and Latina women, who make up 87% of those dealing with communication-related debt, stand to benefit the most from these changes [4].
Facilities like Fayette County Detention Center now offer more affordable rates, including free services for those unable to pay. This approach sets an example for fairer access to communication [3]. The introduction of standardized rate caps across different facilities signals progress toward broader, systemic reform.
Steps for Continued Advocacy
While these reforms are a step forward, ongoing efforts are necessary to ensure long-term change. Tools like Impact Justice AI enable families to combine their personal stories with data, making their voices heard in the push for further reforms.
Here’s how you can contribute:
- Monitor communication costs to strengthen advocacy efforts.
- Use platforms like Impact Justice AI to engage with policymakers.
- Join local prison reform groups to amplify collective efforts.
Removing site commissions and capping rates ensures families can stay connected without facing financial strain. With active community participation and advocacy, we can work toward a justice system that emphasizes rehabilitation, reduces recidivism, and values family connections over profit motives.
Related posts
- Georgia Prison Financial Records: Key Insights
- When Profit Meets Punishment – The Moral Crisis of Georgia’s Prison System
- The Commissary Con: How Georgia Prisons Exploit Inmates and Families
- Life on the Line: How Families Bear the Burden of Georgia’s Prison Crisis
