Can You Hear Me Now?: The Need For Commonsense Approaches to Prisoner Access To Telephone Calls

• In Event: Visitation and Social Contact Behind Bars

Abstract

Technology is changing life inside prisons across the country at the same rapid-fire pace it is changing life outside. Though they are banned, cell phones are prevalent in prison, with authorities confiscating tens of thousands of smuggled phones every year. The real reason for the proliferation of cell phones in prisons has more to do with privately owned institutions gouging inmates and their families with ridiculously overpriced phone time than it does organized crime. Correctional practices - reflecting the security mission of prisons - often add a challenge to maintaining family ties which have been shown to reduce the strain of separation for both prisoner and family/friends and increase the likelihood of successful community reintegration for offenders following release from incarceration. There is a need for balance between custody, care and justice, if the prison system is to achieve its goals in protecting the public, preparing people for release and treating those in their care (and the people who stay connected with them) with humanity. The purpose of this paper is to explore policies and practices associated with the prison telephone system in North Carolina.

Authors

• Angela Stenborg, Appalachian State University

• Anthony K. Willis, Inmate, North Carolina Department of Public Safety

• Barbara H. Zaitzow, Appalachian State University