ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision stated on Tuesday that inmates will no longer be charged for phone calls from state prisons beginning August 1. DOCCS mentioned that the free call service will be covered by its operational budget.
This recent policy eliminates obstacles to communication, a move that supporters claim enhances family connections crucial for rehabilitation and sustained improvements in public safety. The policy will also facilitate easier conversations with their attorneys, as highlighted by Assemblymember Erik Dilan, who leads the Assembly’s Committee on Correction. Assuming the data is correct, the policy would also directly aid the “Reentry 2030” initiative aimed at lowering recidivism in New York from 18.9% to 17% by 2030.
We acknowledge the essential part that solid family connections have in a person’s recovery and lasting achievement following imprisonment,” stated DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III. “Recognizing the importance of family relationships during incarceration is vital—not just for emotional assistance, but for enhancing a person’s results while in prison and upon re-entering society, thereby lowering the chances of reoffending. When individuals in custody keep significant relationships, they are more likely to achieve success.
In New York, individuals who are incarcerated are already allowed three free calls per week, with each call lasting up to 15 minutes. Additionally, the state’s current rate of $0.024 per minute for domestic calls under an agreement with the telecommunications company Securus Technologies was already among the lowest in the country. However, the new vendor contract reduces the state’s cost to just $0.015 per minute, a rate that the prison advocacy group Worth Rises found to be $0.045 below the FCC’s latest rate cap and even lower than California’s $0.016 rate.
Free calls could potentially save approximately 30,000 households in New York around $13.3 million annually in telephone charges, as reported by Worth Rises.
The new policy positions New York as the first state to permit free calls without requiring new laws. Regardless, the Empire State is now part of an increasing number of states, including California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, that provide funding for inmates to communicate with the outside world. For instance, Colorado plans to adopt a similar policy in 2026.
“Free phone calls for Minnesota’s incarcerated individuals have proven to be a highly advantageous initiative,” stated Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell. He noted that free phone calls allow families to save hundreds of dollars that they previously spent on call charges. Worth Rises supported the views of Martuscello and Schnell, citing data from reports showing that consistent communication helps reduce stress, resulting in a 20% decrease in violence and disciplinary issues within the facilities.
After nearly five years of legislative efforts and discussions, the new policy will only affect the 40-something prisons managed by New York. However, the state’s decision also came after the Federal Communications Commission postponed new restrictions on pricing for prison phone and video calls at federal facilities.
Three federal correctional institutions and a single federal prison camp are currently active in New York. As reported by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, there are 3,132 inmates housed in these facilities.
At prison facilities such as Otisville Federal Correctional Institution (964 inmates), Otisville Camp (95 inmates), and Ray Brook FCI (834 inmates) located in New York, the existing rate limit for phone calls, set at $0.14 per minute, would decrease to $0.06. For bigger jails that have an average daily population of 1,000 or more, including the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center (1,239 inmates), the current cap of $0.16 would also be reduced to $0.06.
Mentioning unexpected outcomes and worries regarding security funding and public safety on June 30, the FCC pushed back the deadlines for adhering to pricing regulations that were approved without opposition and enacted through a bipartisan effort in 2024. These rates were set to come into force on January 1. They are now postponed until at least April 2027.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr stated that the rates were insufficient to cover essential safety protocols. However, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez criticized the delay, claiming the agency is “protecting a flawed system that increases expenses and provides bribes to correctional facilities at the cost of those in custody and their families.”
The Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022, enacted in January 2023, required the FCC to guarantee “just and reasonable rates for telephone and advanced communication services within correctional and detention facilities,” including those located in New York. This led the FCC to implement a limit on call costs and prohibit commissions or kickbacks from phone service providers to correctional institutions or government bodies. Worth Rises estimated more than $500 million in yearly savings for families.
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