HARTFORD, CT — Today, Connecticut Governor Lamont signed Senate Bill 972, officially making Connecticut the first U.S. state to make prison phone calls free for incarcerated people and their loved ones. SB 972 passed the state Senate and House in bipartisan votes over the past two weeks and was fully funded in the budget. Connecticut joins a growing list of jurisdictions across the nation in making prison and jail phone calls free, including New York City, San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles.
Worth Rises joins the rest of the Connecting Families Connecticut coalition in celebrating this historic prison phone justice win – the result of years of organizing by Worth Rises and local advocates, including many directly impacted people. SB 972 will save Connecticut families more than $12 million annually (before fees and taxes), reconnect struggling families eager to stay in touch, and improve reentry outcomes by increasing access to support networks.
SB 972 makes all communication in state prisons and youth detention facilities free, prohibits the state from collecting any revenue on the provision of communication services, and protects visits from being supplanted by communication technology. While the bill, as signed, has an an effective date of October 2022, the legislature is moving that date up to July 2022 through the budget implementer, which is expected to pass the House today and the Senate thereafter. The budget implementer also includes additional language that ensures that each person is afforded a minimum of 90 minutes of call time per day.
“Today, Connecticut made history by becoming the first state to make prison calls, and all other communication, free. All of the brave advocates and directly impacted families who fought for this should be proud of today's victory,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “Connecticut has gone from last to first in the nation in the affordability of prison calls, and it was about time. This historic legislation will change lives: It will keep food on the table for struggling families, children in contact with their parents, and our communities safer. Congratulations to Connecticut!”
“It is a privilege to have been part of such an important fight. Connecticut has now set an example for the rest of the country, and we’re on the right side of history,” said State Representative, and champion of the legislation, Josh Elliott. “Corporations can no longer be allowed to exploit the love between incarcerated people and their families – not in our state, not on our watch.”
State Senator, and senate proponent of the legislation, Gary Winfield said, “We have made it possible for families to talk to their loved ones inside and for those behind bars to be able to have communications that are critical to who they will be when they come out of the prison. These people are going to be our neighbors when they come home, but they’re left inside of our prisons on their own. If we can address this and we don’t, we’d be irresponsible. But above all, sometimes there’s value in doing something that’s not just about the dollars. And this is one of those issues.”
“Expensive prison phone calls isolate incarcerated people from their families and support structures,” said Matt Ritter, Speaker of the House. “I’m glad to support the passage of this bill and help fulfill our promise to Connecticut families and their incarcerated loved ones.”
“Incarcerated individuals and their families shouldn't be burdened by exorbitant costs to simply keep in contact with each other. We cannot understate the importance of staying connected to family. We know that incarcerated individuals can maintain the vital connections that will ease their transition back to society,” said House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D – East Hartford, Manchester. “This bill corrects a regressive policy that senselessly indebts families and turns the revolving door of recidivism. As our state focuses on criminal justice reform, it could not be any more timely.”
“I’m grateful to the families and advocates who brought SB 972 to our attention,” said Steve Stafstrom, State Representative and Co-Chair of the Judiciary Committee. “I was personally moved by the testimonies of the families with incarcerated loved ones who shared during the public hearing on SB 972. It’s heartbreaking to think that a father can’t say goodnight to his child because they can’t afford it. I’m proud that Connecticut has voted to end this today.”
“Finally, thanks to the labor and persistence of advocates like me, Connecticut mothers can no longer be forced to choose between communicating with their incarcerated children and paying their bills. I am so proud of what we've accomplished,” said Diane Lewis, a directly impacted advocate whose son was incarcerated for 14 years. “Our state went from ranking worst in the nation on prison call affordability to being the first to make it free to call an incarcerated loved one. Thank you to the Connecticut legislature for hearing our call and stepping up to make our state a leader and model for prison phone justice.”
Venezia Michalsen, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Justice Studies, Montclair State University said, “SB 972 will help us keep loved ones separated by prison walls connected and communicating, which both research and common sense show are best for Connecticut's children, families, communities and taxpayers. Connecticut has gone from last to first in prioritizing the lives and futures of our most vulnerable children and families.”
“Connecticut has benefited for far too long from the pain and suffering people were forced to endure at the expense of having to pay to stay connected with there loved ones inside through a phone call. This pain and suffering contributes to generational trauma that plagues our communities; something that is always overlooked. The passage of this bill to me means the exploited voices of the community are starting to be heard and acknowledged,” said Jewu Richardson, Co-Director of the Connecticut Bail Fund.
“This passage of SB 972 is a huge step toward improving child health and wellbeing outcomes when that child’s parent is incarcerated. Parent-child separation causes toxic stress and PTSD-like symptoms in children, while maintaining contact reduces the most harmful effects of trauma associated with parental separation,” said Aileen Keays, Project Manager at CT Children with Incarcerated Parents Initiative.
Shelby Henderson, ACLU of Connecticut Smart Justice leader said, “When someone is incarcerated, a phone call is a lifeline to hope, and that lifeline should never depend on how much money is in someone’s pocket. Phone calls are vital for families to stay connected, and that connection is necessary for the mental health and wellbeing of people who are inside and the people who love them on the outside. We applaud the Connecticut legislature’s passage of this bill.”
“Thank you for having the courage to invest in people over profit. This legislation underscores our commitment to successful reentry and reducing recidivism by removing the financial barrier of connecting incarcerated people to their families,” said Karimah Mickens Webber, Chairperson, Ella’s Fund PAC.
“This urgent legislation will keep our families connected, helping dismantle an unjust system that is transferring wealth from heavily-policed communities to the private company that is profiting off their struggle. Connecticut has become the first state to eliminate charges on prison communication, but know this: it will not be the last. This movement is just getting started,” said Brian Highsmith, Social Policy PhD student, Harvard University.
Background
For years, Connecticut families have paid unconscionable rates to stay connected with incarcerated loved ones. In the last year, Connecticut earned the dubious distinction of ranking last in the country in the affordability of prison calls.
The proposed legislation was initially introduced by Rep. Josh Elliott as HB 6714 in 2019. While it passed out of both the Judiciary and Appropriations Committees, it was ultimately tabled when lawmakers failed to allocate funding. Democratic leadership committed to address the issue in 2020. Advocates continued to pressure Governor Lamont and Connecticut lawmakers to keep their promise to prioritize the prison phone justice bill in 2020. The bill was introduced again as promised, but before it could get a public hearing, the legislative session was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the start of the 2021 legislative session, the tide changed, Senator Martin Looney reintroduced the legislation, which was then taken up by the Judiciary Committee as SB 972. Following a 12-hour public hearing during which formerly and currently incarcerated advocates and their families testified in support of SB 972, the bill was passed out of the Judiciary Committee. Shortly thereafter, the Appropriations Committee funded the legislation in its proposed budget by allocating $11.4 million, and passing the bill in a 46-2 vote. SB 972 was passed out of the Senate in a 29-6 vote in late May and the House in a 94-51 vote last week.