Do Free Phone Calls Reduce Jail Time?

• In Event: Crime & Drugs, Student Session

Abstract

This paper investigates whether reducing the cost of jail phone calls shortens incarceration spells. In many U.S. jails, phone calls are prohibitively expensive, limiting detained individuals’ ability to contact family, post bail, or coordinate with legal counsel: barriers that may prolong pretrial detention and overall sentence length. We study two recent natural experiments: Iowa’s reduction of phone call costs from $15 to $3 per 15-minute call (March 2021), and Massachusetts' elimination of all jail phone charges (December 2023).

Using administrative jail roster data and a regression discontinuity in time (RDiT) design, we estimate that the policy changes led to large reductions in jail time—7.4 fewer days per person in Iowa and 10.6 fewer days in Massachusetts. These effects are consistent with observed increases in call volume (250%), indicating substantial inmate price sensitivity.

A back-of-the-envelope cost-benefit analysis suggests that taxpayer savings from reduced jail bed usage and detainee liberty cost reductions far exceed the lost phone revenue. Our findings contribute novel evidence that early-stage criminal justice contact can be significantly shaped by simple interventions targeting information and communication frictions, with broad implications for jail policy and incarceration reform.

Author

• Jake Anderson, University of California - Los Angeles
  Presenting Author