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On Friday, Connecticut DOC announced the rollout of JPay tablets with a revenue sharing contract between the corp and state valued at $3.5 million. We'd be annoyed about this any day, but here’s why this news is particularly outrageous. THREAD. https://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/20210124_state_to_give_inmates_tablets_charge_fees/
We’ve been fighting for free prison calls since 2019. The one point that conservative and liberal legislators agree on is that the state shouldn't be making money off family contact. The state takes $8M of the $14M families spend annually on calls. https://www.wnpr.org/post/connecticut-legislators-push-free-prison-phone-calls
Despite that, while having alt offers on the table since Aug 2019, including one without state commissions, administrators have declined to renegotiate the existing telecom contract because of its budget implications. They claim to be waiting for the legislature's decision.
Yet, our bill, which was filed again last week for the 2021 session by multiple legislators, includes (as it always has) making communication alternative like video calls and electronic messaging also free—two components of the new contract. (2021 bill number pending)
In other words, while the state refused to lower call rates despite the ability to do so because of *potential* negative budget implications, it has willfully signed a new contract with the same vendor that has positive budget implications.
In that time, Connecticut has fallen to dead last in state rankings on affordability of a prison phone call, as Arkansas pulled ahead by renegotiating its contract in light of COVID.
That's right, Connecticut is 50th in the affordability of a prison call.
That's right, Connecticut is 50th in the affordability of a prison call.
The new contract would extract millions more from families supporting their loved ones inside—funds that haven’t even allocated the funds.
WHILE, get this, the state is celebrating its position as one of the few states expecting a budget surplus in 2021. https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-consensus-revenue-estimates-20210115-xycpdqsem5gtrihz2kfq4hxk3e-story.html
WHILE, get this, the state is celebrating its position as one of the few states expecting a budget surplus in 2021. https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-consensus-revenue-estimates-20210115-xycpdqsem5gtrihz2kfq4hxk3e-story.html
Here’s an example of tablet costs in the contract and commission rates:
- Video gram - $2.00 (35% commission)
- Electronic message - $0.195 (35%)
- Printing documents - $0.25 (50%)
- Songs - up to $1.99 (30%)
- Audiobooks - up to $19.99 (10%)
- Movie rental - up to $9.99 (10%)
- Video gram - $2.00 (35% commission)
- Electronic message - $0.195 (35%)
- Printing documents - $0.25 (50%)
- Songs - up to $1.99 (30%)
- Audiobooks - up to $19.99 (10%)
- Movie rental - up to $9.99 (10%)
So, the state doesn’t need the money or know how it’ll spend it but thinks it’s appropriate to take that money from the families—disproportionately Black, Brown, and low-income—who have struggled most over our past year with the pandemic, economic fallout, and racial injustice.
And before anyone mentions the murmurs that the DOC is going to use this money for programs know that (1) that’s just speculation and captured in no legislative budget and (2) irrelevant, families should not be funding the core function of the DOC, which includes programs.
We trust that the elected officials we’ve been in dialogue with over the past two years regarding our bill weren’t aware of this, but we also now look to them to take a stance. This must end today. #ConnectFamiliesNOW
@nedlamont @CTSenateDems @CTHouseDems
@nedlamont @CTSenateDems @CTHouseDems
