To: Arkansas Board of Corrections

Arkansas Board of Corrections - Follow the FCC!

The Arkansas Prison Telephone Contract is out for bid….again! There is no legitimate reason why families here in Arkansas should have to bear the burden and pay the inflated phone rate.

We are asking the Arkansas Board of Corrections to FOLLOW THE FCC… and ensure the new contract is based on an equal cost for in-state and out-of-state calls.

Why is this important?

FOLLOW THE FCC!!

In August of 2013, a decade after families of prison inmates asked for action, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) agreed to limit how much companies can charge for phone calls made from behind bars.

The FCC ordered that commission payments from telephone service providers to correctional facilities could no longer be included in any interstate rate or charge. They also issued a rate cap for the price of long-distance calls. It is now up to the individual states to lower the rates for in-state calls through its prison phone contract.

WHY is this important?? A few reasons….

Currently it is cheaper for an incarcerated individual to make a call to California than it is for that individual to make a call to their family in Conway, Arkansas. This simply makes no sense!

According to the FCC ruling, “Studies make clear that inmates who maintain contact with family and community while in prison have reduced rate of recidivism and are more likely to become productive citizens upon their release. Lower rates of recidivism also benefit society by reducing crime, the need for additional prisons, and other costs.”

In addition, thousands of Arkansas children would benefit from increased communication with their incarcerated parent. The exorbitant price of phone calls from correctional facilities today actually DISCOURAGES such communication!

The Arkansas Prison Telephone Contract is out for bid….again! There is no legitimate reason why families here in Arkansas should have to bear the burden and pay the inflated phone rate.

We are asking the Arkansas Board of Corrections to FOLLOW THE FCC… and ensure the new contract is based on an equal cost for in-state and out-of-state calls.

You can help Arkansas families by signing this petition and/or writing a letter to the Arkansas Board of Corrections at PO BOX 20550, White Hall AR 71612-0550 asking them to FOLLOW THE FCC!