On Mon, 4 Jan 2010 13:22:24 -0800 (PST), hanco...@bbs.cpcn.com wrote: >Many government agencies add very hefty surcharges to collect calls >placed by inmates in jails and prisons. They claim it's to cover >security costs but IMHO it's just a way to raise revenue. Usually >the families of prison inmates are quite poor. Even if they weren't >poor to start with, the loss of the main breadwinner to prison makes >them poor. > >Family contacts go a long way to reduce re-offending. Making such >contacts harder increases the chances an inmate will re-offend when he >gets out. Not smart policy. > > >> It's starting to backfire, though - now that cell phones are so >> widespread (and rates are dropping), more and more people choose >> to use their cell phone instead of the room phone. > >Smuggled cell phones is a security problem in prisons. They let >gangsters conduct business while on the inside.
Could it be that making such contacts harder decreases the chance that an inmate will re-offend when he gets out? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html