Victory For Prison Phone Justice: FCC Caps Prison Phone Call Rates (w/ Wanda Bertram)

The movement for fair and equitable policies in United States jails and prisons notched a major victory a little more than a week ago: prison and jail calling rates were cut dramatically by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Joining the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss this victory is Wanda Bertram, a communications strategist for the Prison Policy Initiative. Wanda describes this development as the product of a "decades-long fight for prison and jail communication justice." Wanda outlines the price caps, how something called "ancillary fees" were eliminated, and how most corporate kickbacks were banned as a result of the FCC's order. Later in the episode, Wanda talks about the increased use of prison tablets and the way that jail or prison administrators seize upon this technology to justify doing away with a range of services for detainees or prisoners.