A 15-minute phone call costs $5.70. A bag of ramen costs $1.50. A video visit costs $12.99. Georgia’s prison system doesn’t just incarcerate people—it extracts wealth from the families left behind. For low-income communities already struggling, these fees create cycles of debt that persist long after release. 1
The Cost of Staying Connected
Georgia contracts phone and video services to private companies that charge families premium rates:
| Service | Cost | Monthly Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Phone calls (15 min) | $5.70 | $200-300/month |
| Video visits | $12.99/session | $50-100/month |
| Commissary | Marked up 50-100% | $100-200/month |
| Email messages | $0.25-0.50 each | $20-50/month |
For a family maintaining regular contact, costs reach $400-700 monthly—consuming 35% or more of low-income household budgets. The choice becomes: talk to your loved one, or pay rent.
Who Pays the Price
GPS analysis shows the burden falls disproportionately on those least able to afford it:
- 60.16% of Georgia’s prison population is Black—communities already facing economic disparities 2
- 65% of affected households struggle with food, utilities, and rent
- Nearly 200,000 Georgia children have an incarcerated parent
- Women bear the burden—mothers, wives, and girlfriends typically manage family finances during incarceration
The system extracts wealth from communities that can least afford it, then blames those communities for poverty.
The Hidden Fees
Beyond communication, families face costs most people never consider:
- Travel for visits: Gas, lodging, meals—$150-250/month for rural facilities
- Money transfer fees: 5-10% charged to send commissary funds
- Court costs and fines: Accumulated during prosecution, collected from families
- Child support: Continues accruing during incarceration, creating impossible debt
- Healthcare copays: $5 per medical visit inside, often avoided until emergencies
By the time someone is released, their family may have spent $50,000 or more—money that could have supported reentry, education, or housing.
The Recidivism Connection
Research proves what common sense suggests: family contact during incarceration reduces recidivism. People who maintain relationships come home to support systems. People priced out of contact come home to nothing.
Georgia’s fee structure actively undermines rehabilitation. The state profits from destroying the connections that would reduce future incarceration—then incarcerates the same people again.
What Other States Do
Some states have implemented reforms Georgia refuses:
- Connecticut, California: Free phone calls for incarcerated people
- New York City: Free video visits
- Multiple states: Commissary at cost, not marked up for profit
- Federal system: Child support suspended during incarceration
Georgia could implement any of these. It chooses extraction instead.
Take Action
Use Impact Justice AI to send advocacy emails demanding fee reform. The free tool crafts personalized messages to Georgia lawmakers—no experience required.
Before calling GDC about your loved one, read: Record Every Call: How to Expose Contempt and Abuse
Demand from your legislators:
- Free phone calls for incarcerated people
- Commissary priced at cost
- Child support suspension during incarceration
- Elimination of money transfer fees
Further Reading
- The Price of Love: How Georgia’s Prisons Bleed Families Dry
- The Human Cost of Georgia’s Prison Extortion
- Record Every Call: How to Expose Contempt and Abuse
- GPS Informational Resources
- Pathways to Success
About Georgia Prisoners’ Speak (GPS)
Georgia Prisoners’ Speak (GPS) is a nonprofit investigative newsroom built in partnership with incarcerated reporters, families, advocates, and data analysts. Operating independently from the Georgia Department of Corrections, GPS documents the truth the state refuses to acknowledge: extreme violence, fatal medical neglect, gang-controlled dorms, collapsed staffing, fraudulent reporting practices, and unconstitutional conditions across Georgia’s prisons.
Through confidential reporting channels, secure communication, evidence verification, public-records requests, legislative research, and professional investigative standards, GPS provides the transparency the system lacks. Our mission is to expose abuses, protect incarcerated people, support families, and push Georgia toward meaningful reform based on human rights, evidence, and public accountability.
Every article is part of a larger fight — to end the silence, reveal the truth, and demand justice.
