The ability to make phone calls is one that often goes unrecognized. Those attending school in a different state, those stationed overseas, or those wanting to chat with friends rely on phone calls in an increasingly digital world to keep in touch with loved ones. This privilege is so vital that Americans spent 2.4 trillion minutes talking on the phone in 2021¹. Unlimited phone plans are so common that Americans can call whoever they want, whenever they want, with one exception: incarcerated Americans.

Calls made from prisons are incredibly expensive and are not something to be taken for granted by incarcerated people or their families, especially considering that they are the primary method of communication for them. They are not included in a phone plan, like everyday phone calls, but are charged on a per-minute basis. In Florida, this rate is 19 cents a minute². These costs add up quickly; Karen Stuckey, whose son and husband are both incarcerated in the Florida prison system, spent over $6,000 on phone calls in a two-year period³. Considering 85% of incarcerated people across the country have incomes below $20,000 a year⁴, these costs add up quickly. Due to the financial burden phone calls place on families, they are often forced to choose between affording basic necessities or talking to their loved ones.

These calls are so expensive because of the “kickback system”; phone companies pay commissions to jails and prisons to incentivize them to use their calling system⁵. They choose the companies offering them the highest commissions, which then inflates the prices of calls so the phone companies can deliver on their promises. For example, Florida’s Department of Corrections contractually makes a minimum of $5,000,000 annually in commissions from GTL, plus certain value-added services, like radios and even a virtual gun range. Because of the concentrated market, companies have no incentive to lower prices but rather compete to charge even more, meaning the loved ones of incarcerated people have no choice but to pay the price.

The Florida Student Policy Forum (FSPF), a nonpartisan student policy organization at the University of Florida, sought to resolve this problem and lower the costs that incarcerated people and their families must pay to stay in contact. Graham Bernstein, the Director of Political Affairs, and his partner Konstantin Nakov met with Florida legislators to propose free phone calls for incarcerated people across the state. However, as costs were a concern for lawmakers representing rural areas, there were concerns about the price tag of such a policy, but there was support for the general premise. 

A compromise was reached between the groups, and the final bill reaching the Florida Legislature was that an incarcerated person who did not get a disciplinary report for three months would get one 15-minute phone call per month for free. This both incentivized good behavior and was beneficial to those in prison and their families. The cost was not a problem, as the cost of the call was covered by rerouting a portion of the commissions received from phone companies. No citizen taxpayer dollars were spent on this program.

The bill was passed and established in 2023 and was wildly successful across the state. Families were grateful to be given financial relief and the opportunity to talk to their loved ones. Heather Leitl, whose husband is incarcerated in Bradford County, said these free phone calls were the only reason she and her children could talk to him because the costs were too high otherwise. 

Unfortunately, despite providing many Floridians with relief and valuable connections with their incarcerated loved ones, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed the program’s continuation in the summer of 2024 despite the measure passing through the legislature. He did not publicly comment on why he vetoed it. The only explanation given by the Governor was a letter explaining his vetoes of other criminal justice bills: “We should not reward criminal activity by providing inmates with the same benefits as law-abiding citizens.”⁶

Hope is not lost, however, because measures such as this have been thought of for over twenty years. A report released in 1998 by the Florida House of Representatives found that continued contact with family discourages recidivism, and “it is in the state’s interest to help”⁷. Additionally, Bernstein reported that he met with the author of a 2005 report published by the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability that found higher phone call costs led to higher recidivism rates. The author told him that the bill that FSPF worked to pass should have been done “a long time ago” and is overall beneficial for incarcerated people and society. These research findings on recidivism are consistent with over ten years of findings by the Federal Communications Commission as it has sought to crack down on these exorbitant phone call costs. is clear that the motivation and will needed to continue the program is still present despite its funding loss, which is why FSPF is planning to re-introduce their proposal in the next legislative session in March 2025. 

Lower phone call costs facilitate contact between incarcerated people and their families and friends. Many Florida prisons are in rural areas, making in-person visits difficult. Thus, phone calls are often the only option for contact, to the detriment of families. Over ⅓ of families go into debt paying for prison phone calls⁸, disincentivizing contact. This is especially detrimental to children of incarcerated people; if calls are not an option, they have no way of contacting their parents. If children cannot keep in touch with their parents, the chance of being placed in foster care is statistically higher. This continues the pattern of offensive behavior; in a study by the University of Chicago, 59% of females and 81.8% of males who were formerly in foster care had committed a crime before age 26⁹. Connecting children with their parents and keeping families out of debt are key to facilitating good behavior and healthy relationships between parents and children.

Additionally, lower phone call costs lead to a lower rate of recidivism. Currently, within 3 years of release, around 21% of Florida prison inmates will reoffend¹⁰. One of the best ways to ensure that someone does not re-offend is to focus on their integration into the community¹¹, and continued contact with people outside of the prison system ensures they are as involved with their communities as possible. If phone calls are out of the question due to the cost, communication is hindered and recidivism is higher. This means there is not only a higher overall crime rate, making Florida less safe to live in, but the costs associated with prisons are astronomical. In Florida, it costs about $31,000 to imprison someone for one year¹⁰, which comes out of the taxes citizens pay. Additionally, Florida is allowed to charge prisoners $50 daily for their stay, and this can extend after their sentence is over¹². Considering the statistically lower income for these people and their families, the impact is felt more strongly by them. Additionally, 85-95% of Florida’s current prison population will eventually be released¹³, and it is critical to ensure they maintain contact with society. It is urgent that we lower the recidivism rate in Florida and lower costs for the families of incarcerated people and taxpayers by facilitating access to phone calls.FSPF urges you to support them in their mission to make phone calls more affordable in the state of Florida, as it benefits incarcerated people, their families, and the general Florida populace. University of Florida students can contact ufloridafspf@gmail.com to get involved with FSPF, and all Florida citizens can contact their legislators and Governor DeSantis to urge them to pass this measure. To contact the Governor’s office, call (850) 717-9337 or contact Stormie Knight, the Policy Coordinator for the Governor’s Public Safety Unit, at stormie.knight@laspbs.state.fl.us.