NATIONWIDE — Today, 20 advocacy organizations delivered a joint letter to leadership of the Connecticut state legislature demanding that lawmakers pass measures for prison phone justice in the next emergency session expected this month. In the most recent effort, advocates have been pushing the Connecticut state legislature to address the high rates of prison phone calls since last year.
“Last year, we received a commitment from the Connecticut legislature to prioritize prison phone justice in 2020. The pandemic is no excuse for inaction, in fact, it has exacerbated the need for action. We’re calling on the legislature to keep its promise,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “No more delays and no more stalling — families with incarcerated loved ones need immediate relief from the burden of exploitative prison call rates. Now is the time for the Connecticut legislature to act.”
Connecticut has the dubious distinction of ranking last out of 50 states nationwide in affordability of a prison phone call, a position that has worsened in light of the pandemic. Last year, lawmakers opted to table the groundbreaking House Bill 6714 (H.B. 6714) until this year’s session. The bill would allow Connecticut residents to communicate with incarcerated loved ones at no cost, prevent the state from collecting kickbacks on prison communication, and protect in-person visits for incarcerated people and their loved ones.
The bill was raised by the Judiciary Committee and scheduled for a hearing this year, but the legislative session was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Connecticut advocates renew pressure on the Connecticut legislature to keep the promise of prison phone justice.
“In recent years, available research on the critical role of maintaining contact with an incarcerated parent for child health and wellbeing grows. In addition, the importance of maintaining contact with loved ones on reducing the parent’s likelihood for future criminal justice system involvement is also being realized. This, of course, means improved public safety. Because of the increasing data, CTCIP strongly supports this proposal so all families are able to maintain crucial connections to family,” said Aileen Keays, Project Manager, CCSU’s CT Children with Incarcerated Parents Initiative.
“Connecticut can again be the national leader in progressive criminal justice; it requires empathy, compassion and action. We can start with the legislature passing this long-stalled bill uniting families on the margins,” said Rev. Jeff Grant, Progressive Prison Ministries.