DENVER, CO — Today, the Colorado House Judiciary Committee voted 8 to 4 to advance HB23-1133. Sponsored by Representatives Judy Amabile and Mandy Lindsay, HB23-1133 would make prison communication free across Colorado. It now moves to the House Appropriations Committee for further consideration.
At today’s hearing, more than a dozen incarcerated people, family members, and advocates shared testimony about the impact of the costs of communication. Every year, Colorado families, who are disproportionately Black, brown, and low-income, pay over $8.8 million to speak to their incarcerated loved ones. Over 50% of families with an incarcerated loved one struggle to meet basic housing and food needs. One out of three families with a loved one behind bars goes into debt just to stay in touch, and women carry 87% of the burden.
"This is an issue that affects many families, including mine," said Representative Mandy Lindsay (HD-42). "Today, we made a step towards keeping Colorado families connected. I'm so grateful for all the witnesses who shared heartfelt testimony and I look forward to this bill continuing through this process. I'm honored to be a part of this team."
“When people who are in custody can stay in contact with their loved ones and community, we see improved outcomes in terms of recidivism, public safety, and decreased generational harm,” said Representative Judy Amabile (HD-49). “We are pleased to see this bill progress successfully out of the Judiciary Committee.”
Research has repeatedly shown that when incarcerated people and their families are in regular communication, they do better both while they are behind bars and when they reenter the community, which improves safety for correctional officers and the public. Such communication substantially decreases incidents in prisons and reduces recidivism upon release. And the positive impacts are similar for families. The 1 in 28 children with an incarcerated parent, for instance, do better at home and at school when they are able to maintain relationships with their parents in prison.
HB23-1133 is backed by the Colorado Connecting Families coalition made up of state and national organizations, including A Better Balance, ACLU of Colorado, AUL Denver, Colorado Children’s Campaign, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, Connected Families, Elephant Circle, Legislation Inside, ProgressNow Colorado, New Era Colorado, Second Chance Center, Soul2Soul Sisters, Stand for Children Colorado, The Reentry Initiative, Together Colorado, and Worth Rises.
“Families do more to help their incarcerated loved ones come home successfully than anything the system could do on its own. Yet, for years, families have been price-gouged to simply stay in touch and provide this much-needed support. By making communication free, HB1133 will connect incarcerated people with the loved ones who support them and still allow families to keep a roof over their own heads and food on the table,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “Today’s vote is just the first step for HB1133, but the 8 to 4 vote is a strong signal of its potential success. We applaud the House Judiciary Committee for defending families and public safety, and we thank our lead sponsors Rep. Amabile and Rep. Lindsay, all those who testified, and our Colorado partners in the background for their work. We will continue supporting families in Colorado in passing this important legislation.”
If Colorado passes HB23-1133, it would join a growing list of cities, counties, and states that have made prison and jail communication free, including California, Connecticut, New York City, San Francisco, Miami-Dade, and others.
“Having now heard from impacted families who are paying thousands of dollars annually to stay connected to their loved ones in prison in Colorado - I hope that legislators see how investing in parent-child and familial connection for our incarcerated individuals is imperative to a healthier society on the outside. Phone calls and connection is not a reason for families to go into debt when their loved ones might make $30 a month in prison” says Kayla Frawley, Legislative Director for ProgressNow Colorado.
“I never thought that I would lose the most important relationships in my life due to the fact that I cannot afford to call my children everyday to check on their wellbeing and maintain a positive bond… If I am unable to maintain a positive relationship with my family and loved ones, who do I turn to when it is time for me to go home,” said Norman Vasquez, Second Chance Center Legislation Inside Representative for Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility.
“Over 5 years, I estimate that I have spent close to $30,000-40,000 on phone calls to stay connected to my husband, to make sure he can have a relationship with our daughter - that does require consistent and frequent communication when she was so young. We went into debt to keep that connection - for us all, but, because she deserves it. Children and families don’t deserve to be burdened with something like this when they are the ones left once an adult is incarcerated,” said Janelle Jenkins, mother of two with a formerly incarcerated husband.
"For children with an incarcerated parent, phone calls may be the only way that they get to tell their parents about an A they got on a test or the basketball game they won," said Jesse Rula, Colorado educator and Stand for Children Advocacy Fellow.