MIAMI, FL — Today, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners passed an ordinance introduced by Commissioner Kionne McGhee to make jail communication free in a 9-2 vote, after a unanimous vote by the Commission’s Community Safety and Security Committee on March 10, 2022. The vote comes after over a year of organizing, advocacy, and negotiations to eliminate communication costs to families, which already led Mayor Daniella Cava to forgo the 67 percent kickback the County had been receiving from its jail telecom provider for years. The ordinance reinforces the Mayor’s intent to release a Request For Proposal that requires the provision of free jail communication services in the immediate future.
People with incarcerated loved ones appeared in droves to the committee hearing and then today’s Commission meeting. Miami residents who have supported loved ones behind bars recounted experiences of paying hundreds of dollars every month to a loved one inside or, worse yet, being unable to afford a call for months at a time, fracturing bonds that are critical to their emotional wellbeing and successful reentry. With today’s decision, all that will change for Miami families soon.
Akeel Williams, a member of Beyond the Bars, which led the grassroots campaign on the ground, said, “The Commissioners’ decision today reflects the power of the people when we come together. We are excited that Miami joined the national movement and passed this bill!”
Miami joins a growing list of cities, counties, and states making prison and jail communication free, including New York, San Francisco, San Diego, and Connecticut, among other places. And it did so with the support of the Miami-Dade Department of Corrections due to the positive impact that increased communication has on the jail environment. At the committee hearing, Interim Director Cassandra Jones of the Miami-Dade Department of Corrections provided details of their plan to implement free communications, including 90 minutes of free phone calls daily, 120 minutes of free video calls weekly, and limited free electronic messaging. The department also announced its intent to restart in-person visitation by the end of the month, after nearly two years of cancelled visitation.
“Miami’s actions today will change lives: It will keep food on the table for struggling families, ensure children are connected with their parents, and make our communities safer. All of the brave advocates who fought for this over the past year, including many families with incarcerated loved ones, should be proud of today’s victory,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises, which played a key role in supporting efforts on the ground in Miami and jurisdictions across the country. “Today, Miami joined the national movement to make jail communication free, cementing a fast-moving trend that no one can deny.”
Katherine Passley, the Deputy Director of Beyond the Bars, said, “We are extremely excited to see the slate of reforms we have been pushing come to fruition. These reforms are a welcome change, and long overdue, for the estimated half of Miami-Dade residents who have been impacted by incarceration.”