I am following the recent stories on Mythreecents.com of the overcharging in the prison phone system. While I personally have never been in prison, I have had family members that have been. I remember getting those notorious collect calls that cost an arm and a leg to pay for. My calls were received more than 20 years ago. Today, calls can cost up to $1 per minute. What does this do to the 2.7 million children in this country whose parents are behind bars?
When a parent goes to prison, it is like a divorce from their family. Many prisoners are incarcerated hours from their home. This means that the only form of communication they have is by telephone. Global Tel*Link and the FCC have been battling it out over the absorbent costs of making a phone call. Some state that this company is profiting off of love, and I tend to agree. Watch this YouTube video for more details.
With the prices being so high, communication between the inmates and their families is reduced to a minimum. The argument is that a prison is a harsh place and they make it tough so people won’t come back. I just have to ask one question, what about the children? The children are innocent in all of this. Growing up without a mother or father is hard enough, but why should they be punished ever more so? The problem is that Global Tel-Link has the monopoly on prison phone communications. They are currently under investigation for overcharging and other questionable practices.
Families are fighting back GTL for the right to talk to their loved ones, without sacrificing basic needs. These families have already lost one income, charging them so much to talk to their loved one is just wrong. It is just a phone call. Sure, they need to monitor and record conversations, but at the end of the day, it is a normal phone call. Making a phone call costs them pennies. Why do they feel the need to make commissions and make money at the cost of others?