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Prison Phone

Lower the cost of calls from Prison!

Target:
President Barack obama
Sponsored by: 
With 2.2 million incarcerated in the USA, many of you already know how much it costs to accept a collect call from prison.

Prisons are filled disproportionately with people who live under the poverty line. Fathers of children, sons of mothers, sisters of brothers and husbands of wives. While we understand the necessity to have to punish the guilty, we disagree with the practice of charging so much for those guilty people to make a phone call home because that punishes the innocent family and loved ones of the incarcerated.

We are asking that  President Obama help us get a per-call cap on phone calls from prison. A rate that even the poorest mother of an 18 year old caught with a bag of marijuana can afford.

Please, if you care about this issue, send this to as many people as you know. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/lower-the-cost-of-calls-from-prison
With 2.2 million incarcerated in the USA, many of you already know how much it costs to accept a collect call from prison.

Prisons are filled disproportionately with people who live under the poverty line. Fathers of children, sons of mothers, sisters of brothers and husbands of wives. While we understand the necessity to have to punish the guilty, we disagree with the practice of charging so much for those guilty people to make a phone call home because that punishes the innocent family and loved ones of the incarcerated.

We are asking that  President Obama help us get a per-call cap on phone calls from prison. A rate that even the poorest mother of an 18 year old caught with a bag of marijuana can afford.

Please, if you care about this issue, send this to as many people as you know. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/lower-the-cost-of-calls-from-prison
We the undersigned are asking that you put a per-call price cap on collect calls from correctional institutions. The reason behind this is that statistics show a lot of the incarcerated belong to families that live below the poverty line or close to it. These people cannot afford the rates that are being charged each time their incarcerated family member or loved one calls. While we recognize the importance of punishing crime, we do not see any reason why the innocent family members and loved ones of the incarcerated should be punished for wanting to stay in contact with those who may be incarcerated, but who are still important to them. These people include poor mothers who's sons are locked up for non-violent possession charges, wives who have become single mothers wanting their children to grow up knowing their fathers' voice. We are talking about law-abiding Americans, we are talking about innocent human beings. There is no good reason why any of these people should be paying upwards of $20 per call to speak to someone important to them.

We the undersigned recognize your commitment to human rights, to civil rights. In one week as president, you have already made it abundantly clear that you will not put up with human rights abuses on your watch. Here is a way to make sure the families and loved ones of 2.2 million incarcerated Americans have their rights taken into consideration, too.

Congratulations on winning the presidency, and thank you so much for your time. We are certain you will do the right thing.
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We signed the "Lower the cost of calls from Prison!" petition!
# 1,009:
7:41 pm PST, Nov 20, Brian Stempien, Arizona
Its really hard for kids with incarserated parents and not being able to talk with their parents on the phone but once or twice a month due to the cost. Unfortunatly families on the outside feel as if the ones who are also being punished.
# 1,008:
5:33 pm PST, Nov 18, Name not displayed, Ohio
i think its rediculous how much phone calls are, especially if the person is so far away its hard to go see them...you never get a chance to speak to them!!
# 1,007:
10:08 am PST, Nov 18, Tracy Carfagna, Georgia
My younger brother has been locked up for going on 10 years now and can't call his mother b/c she can't afford to pay the money it cost for 1 30 minute phone call.
# 1,006:
6:33 am PST, Nov 17, Lisa Wysong, California
# 1,005:
2:07 pm PST, Nov 16, MARYCELA GOMEZ, California
President Obama help us get a per-call cap on phone calls from prison. Mr. President: 'YES U CAN"
# 1,004:
1:32 pm PST, Nov 12, Christy Chavez, New Mexico
Money on the phone, or money on their books or in the gas tank for visits. The price of calls is very expensive and it causes lack of communication between family and friends because most people simply cant pay for it.
# 1,003:
3:28 am PST, Nov 11, Vicki Lloyd, Virginia
the price of the calls are crazy you have to decide between the phone or sendin your man money.
# 1,002:
8:09 pm PST, Nov 10, Amber Trotman, Pennsylvania
# 1,001:
3:00 pm PST, Nov 10, Americas Wrongfully Convicted, Texas
There are a lot of things that the prison system should not charge so much for. Phone calls, food and any other special needs since the familys are burdened with having to buy or pay for them since the inmate cannot. The prison system punishes more than just the inmates including wrongfully convicted inmates and family members.
# 1,000:
6:05 pm PST, Nov 9, Shauna Greene, Florida
# 999:
3:00 pm PST, Nov 9, Molly Ditmore, California
When a family member is incarcerated, the remaining members are left to scramble to pay the pills. Expensive phone calls to prisons are most unfair to the children and family members who committed no crime.
# 998:
2:43 pm PST, Nov 9, Piper Kerman, New York
# 997:
7:54 pm PST, Nov 7, Genie Foster, Tennessee
Please do something about this!!
# 996:
11:58 am PST, Nov 7, Chris Martinez, Michigan
The cost of a phone call from an inmate is too high during these tough economic hardships or what is still a recession. I don't believe nobody is being fooled by numbers and hidden charges anymore, so something has to change and soon.
# 995:
9:00 am PST, Nov 7, Stephen Bridgins, Indiana
# 994:
8:11 pm PST, Nov 6, Michelle Bridgins, South Dakota
My husband was recently incarcrated, and i am left to raise our special needs son all alone. I am not proud of my husbands action, but he is my husband and he is my sons father, so why make it difficulter to stay in touch. i am having a hard enough time as it is, because i too and disabled.
# 993:
2:12 pm PST, Nov 6, Cathy Heard, Canada
Have a heart and help these families deal with this!
# 992:
12:33 pm PST, Nov 6, Pete Brook, Washington
# 991:
8:38 am PST, Nov 6, Name not displayed, Colorado
I am a widowed mother of an inmate. I am on a fixed income. My son is over 300 miles from home so visits are few and far between. The phone is our main means of communication but the phone calls are so expensive that it is a financial burden to talk to him. he system effectively isolates inmats from thei family and wonders why it is so dfficult to rehabilitate them.
# 990:
1:23 pm PST, Nov 5, Raejeana Mckinzie, Colorado
# 989:
9:54 am PST, Nov 2, April Ray, Tennessee
# 988:
11:27 pm PDT, Oct 30, Name not displayed, Kansas
It's hard if your trying to support a 9 month old to be able to talk to the dad in jail. Your trying to take care of yourself and the little one and pay all the bills with no help. You could at least do us this favor to lower the cost or just let them be free. What harm could that do us?
# 987:
6:17 pm PDT, Oct 28, Alissa Clinebell, Ohio
I really appreciate that someone is trying to do this. Times are really hard right now and I am a mother of three small boys. I dont at all agree with why their father is in prison and I am a firm believer in paying for your crime however I do not believe that me or his children should have to pay while he is there just to stay in touch with him. And I refuse to change my childrens mind about their father they love him more than anything in the world so if there was a cheaper way for them to talk to him that would be the BEST thing for me right now. Again please help and thank you for the effort. A struggling mother!
# 986:
12:19 am PDT, Oct 24, Mara Alexander, California
My son has been incarcerated for almost 10 years. He's housed in a prison that is a 5 hour drive (each way). I'm fighting to keep a roof over my own head, and can't afford to visit him more than 2-3 times a year. GTL has a monopoly on inmate calls, and is one of the most inept and corrupt companies I've ever dealt with. They have no motive to change because after all...where are we going to go? We have no choice but to accept their insane terms, or risk not speaking to our loved ones. Even then home numbers are routinely blocked for no reason. My son is paying for his crime...so why is his entire family ALSO being held hostage by the unethical and arbitrary practices of one greedy company?
# 985:
6:14 pm PDT, Oct 22, Name not displayed, Texas
# 984:
5:19 am PDT, Oct 22, Julie Park, New York
With high phone bills, that only makes communication with our loved ones all the more harder. The government/prison system needs to find a better way to make money. This is terrible.
# 983:
12:04 pm PDT, Oct 21, Christen Brown, Kentucky
# 982:
5:58 pm PDT, Oct 20, Janeen Moody, Ohio
Please do something to reduce the cost of calls. For me to talk to my brother through Evercom in Florida it is 21.00 for 15 minutes. how does someone who is poor afford this. I think the prison system is getting paid for using this service. a great dis service to families.
# 981:
8:12 am PDT, Oct 16, Kimberly Brickhouse, Virginia
I don't think it's fair to the loved ones to have to pay such high prices to be able to talk to an inmate it's like you are punishing us too! and thats just wrong!
# 980:
12:51 pm PDT, Oct 15, Ashley Moore, North Carolina
We have a 9 week old baby that my fiance has never seen or heard cry. I cant afford the phone calls right now because they are way to expensive. $5 for 10 minutes. All three of us cry every night. It would be nice to hear his voice before we all say goodnight. That would make this time so much easier for me. Why do we all get punished! Esp my baby?
# 979:
9:19 pm PDT, Oct 14, Lisa Whitaker, Pennsylvania
most folks in prison are from middle to low income family homes and the cost of calls for loved one's to speak to their incarcerated family members is enough to break the bank. Because family members broke the law why should innocent law abiding relatives have to be robbed and punished with astronomical prices related to phone communication......
# 978:
6:50 pm PDT, Oct 14, Kathy Kinney, Kansas
# 977:
9:47 am PDT, Oct 14, Susan Hall, Washington
Although the cost of the phone calls are high. It's the fact that my son is innocent and serving a 6 yr sentence of a crime that he did not commit that is most hurtful for him and his family. I told him to believe in the system and the system put him in prison. I cannot begin to tell you how this has effected our family.
# 976:
1:35 pm PDT, Oct 12, Xqhvysk Xqhvysk, Uganda
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# 975:
6:51 am PDT, Oct 12, Erin Kennedy, Indiana
The entire state of Indiana is serviced by one telecommunications providor for all DOC pay phones. The fees are excessive, resolving issues with calls nearly impossible, and they charge a fee of $6.95 to make a payment to your account! Since May of this year I have spent over $700.00 to recieve calls from my son. Please find a way to provide fair and reasonable rates to families of inmates. Thank you.
# 974:
1:56 am PDT, Oct 11, Susan Chandler, Florida
# 973:
9:12 pm PDT, Oct 10, Elaine Jealous of him, California
it seems prisons are a good way to bargain slave labor and then these slaves in turn become a great burden on the financially stressed families of these said prisoners, Sure is sad. Wasn't Jesus in prison?
# 972:
5:54 pm PDT, Oct 10, Trevor B, Canada
i think lower price for calls is a good way to go
# 971:
1:40 pm PDT, Oct 9, Catherine Cyr, Pennsylvania
# 970:
12:30 pm PDT, Oct 9, Charles Hensley, Tennessee
My son in jail and for a 12 min call it cost me over 2.00 and this is a local call. it should not be over 0.75 per call
# 968:
5:09 pm PDT, Oct 1, Name not displayed, California
my son is going to prision and is to expensive to pay for collect calls, especially when you don't make enough money.
# 967:
8:03 pm PDT, Sep 30, Dixianne Hawks, California
It's really sick to deprive troubled people of connections to home, just so greedy people can make money on someone else's misfortune and yes, illness. Connections help people recover and do better on the outside. The prison system is not about helping these unfortunate people it is about making sure they come back to prison so they can have job security.
# 966:
7:48 am PDT, Sep 30, Elaine Wang, California
# 965:
5:34 pm PDT, Sep 28, Mindy Winer, Pennsylvania
My son whom is incarcerated in camp hill,cant afford to call home because of the high prices,It would do wonders if this petition does help.God Bless
# 964:
5:38 am PDT, Sep 28, Tammy Marquardt, Canada
I've been on the inside and the expence to be able to call from the inside is insane and doesn't help the reabilitation of inmates. Not everyone can afford calls from prison.
# 963:
3:57 pm PDT, Sep 27, Lisa Raville, Colorado
# 962:
5:33 pm PDT, Sep 26, Barbara Naso, New York
The fact that I am on a fixed income warrants me to urge you to take the necessary measures to lower the cost of my nephew calling me collect from an Arizona prison. Because of distance, this is our only extremely expensive way of communicating for 15 minutes I am confident that because my nephew is able to speak with his family members on a regular basis helps him cope with being incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. It allows us a way of communicating all that is being done to help him win his freedom
# 961:
7:37 pm PDT, Sep 23, Christina Dinsmore, New York
# 960:
10:51 pm PDT, Sep 22, Rebecca Keeton, Ohio
# 959:
3:45 pm PDT, Sep 22, Name not displayed, Ohio
My husband is in jail and it cost 7.21 per 20 minute call. The lines are almost always staticy and consistantly disconnect. There customer services reps speak broken english and offer no help ... if you can even get a hold of them. EVERCOM is ripping people off.
# 958:
10:20 am PDT, Sep 22, Michael Ainslie, California
Repeating Michelle's comment: Statistics prove that those incarcerated are more likely to leave prison and become solid citizens if they maintain contact with their loved ones while in prison. Why are the prisons then making it more difficult?
# 957:
7:49 pm PDT, Sep 21, Maria Spears, California
# 956:
4:46 pm PDT, Sep 21, Doris Hamilton, Texas
seriously flawed and needs help. Offenders need to be able to speak with family without family being punished with extreme telephone costs.
# 955:
6:59 am PDT, Sep 21, Michelle Ravell, Nevada
Statistics prove that those incarcerated are more likely to leave prison and become solid citizens if they maintain contact with their loved ones while in prison. Why are the prisons then making it more difficult?
# 954:
8:16 pm PDT, Sep 20, STEPHANIE DAVIS, Louisiana
YES I THINK THAT COLLECT IS TO HIGH THE PRISONER CAN'T PAY THE BILL SO WHY HURT THE FAMILY
# 953:
10:01 am PDT, Sep 20, Ed Brody, Arizona
# 952:
7:53 pm PDT, Sep 18, Kristen Potter, Missouri
# 951:
4:57 am PDT, Sep 18, Giselle Gerhart, Pennsylvania
GISELLE GERHART
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