Minnesota made prison phone calls free but telecommunications price-gouging continues

As part of a growing effort to stop prison telecommunications monopolies from charging exorbitant fees for calls between prisoners and their families, in 2023 Minnesota became one of the first states to make all phone calls free for prisoners. And to eliminate the kickback system perpetuating the scheme, the state barred its agencies from collecting commissions on prison phone services, as well as on video calling and e-messaging. But records obtained by The Lever show Minnesota’s Department of Corrections still collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks in 2023 from commissions on other prison services private telecom companies controlled—including money transfers, music access, and other entertainment behind bars. All in all, the records suggest the telecommunications firms brought in nearly $3 million in revenue from an ever-increasing array of non-phone prison services in the state. Minnesota, which was the fourth state in the country to make the government, not prisoners, pay for phone calls, is a case study in how prison communication companies and their private equity owners have managed to preserve their symbiotic relationship with state corrections agencies despite reforms—at the major expense of incarcerated people and their families.

[Feb 14]