Image via Convict Soapbox

Please see my newest article at DigBoston,
THE COST OF PRISON VIDEO VISITATION: ANOTHER HARDSHIP FOR FAMILIES,
As lawmakers consider free phone calls, expensive video calls come to Mass prisons.

It begins: “First, the good news: S.2846, which would allow free phone calls to all prisoners in a state or county facility, will go to the Senate floor for a vote, Sen. President Karen Spilka tweeted in late July. 

If the bill passes the Senate, the House would vote, and then if successful, it would go to Gov. Charlie Baker. Many activists who have been working on this issue for years say it is particularly timely. Free calling is one of the few ways that incarcerated people can stay connected with their loved ones during the COVID-19 crisis without incurring horrendous costs.

And now, just when prisoners and their families thought they might be able to save a buck, the Mass Department of Correction (DOC) is rolling out a plan to charge them for video visitation. And they’re charging a significant amount for the privilege of connecting through one of the same services that gouged them on telephone calls, Securus.” More

Please see and share my new book review of Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law’s Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms here. It begins–

“Across the country, violence by police against Black and brown people has stirred up concerns about our nation’s philosophy of policing. Discussions are proliferating about shrinking or abolishing the current system, and even in some quarters, there are calls to “re-fund the police—smarter.”

MORE

Image courtesy of Prisoners’ Legal Services website

Per the New York Times July 1, a searchable table for clusters in Massachusetts and found 6 in the top 17 are in prisons and jails:

Massachusetts Correctional Institution-Shirley — Shirley, Mass.	193
Soldiers Home in Holyoke veterans center and hospital — Holyoke, Mass.	161
Massachusetts Treatment Center prison — Bridgewater, Mass.	149
Heritage Hall West Building nursing home — Agawam, Mass.	148
St. Patrick’s Manor retirement community — Framingham, Mass.	113
Biogen conference — Boston, Mass.	109
Massachusetts Correctional Institution- Framingham — Framingham, Mass.	99
Essex County Correctional Facility — Middleton, Mass.	92
Wingate nursing home — Chestnut Hill, Mass.	87
Wingate at Harwich nursing and rehab — Harwich, Mass.	83
Walmart store — Worcester, Mass.	81
Bristol County House of Correction and Jail — North Dartmouth, Mass.	75
Middlesex Jail & House of Correction — Billerica, Mass.	72
Blueberry Hill Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center — Beverly, Mass.	70
Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing — Northbridge, Mass.	63
Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing — Northborough, Mass.	62
Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing — Westborough, Mass.	60