[telecom] The high cost to stay connected from prison

open original image

The high cost to stay connected from prison

By Scott O'Connell/Daily News staff MetroWest Daily News Posted Jul 14, 2012

Thanks to a pricey surcharge and poor service, family members trying to reach inmates in Massachusetts jails and prisons can sometimes pay up to $10 for a few minutes of phone time.

While the charges aren't quite as high at state-run facilities as they are at county ones, they hit hardest on women prisoners at MCI-Framingham, many of whom rely on such calls to keep in touch with their children, said Bonita Tenneriello, a lawyer at Prisoners Legal Services in Boston.

This Thursday at a public hearing before the state Department of Telecommunications and Cable, Tenneriello and many other inmate advocates and family members will make the case to lower prison phone rates and investigate poor call quality.

..