Put a cap on prison call costs

For the millions of people behind bars in the US, the phone offers a vital connection to their families and the outside world. But placing a call comes at a cost — a steep one. But Federal Communications Chairman Ajit Pai is now asking states to impose price caps on intrastate prison phone calls, keeping the service affordable and accessible to inmates so that they can keep in touch with loved ones.

Research has repeatedly shown that more frequent contact with people outside of jail drastically reduces the rate of recidivism for inmates. So important is the issue that some states have considered bills that would make prison phone calls free. But until lawmakers can get behind such a proposal, regulators should take steps to at least control the cost of prison phone services. Regulators in states throughout the country should roll intrastate prison call rates down at least to the interstate maximum of $3.15. Lower rates — or, eventually, free calls — would allow inmates to communicate more frequently with loved ones on the outside and reintegrate more easily after release. Access to a basic resource that can have such positive effects should not be cost prohibitive.