House Representatives Ask Julius for Action on Prison Phones
House Representatives Ask Julius for Action on Prison Phones
House Representatives Ask Julius for Action on Prison Phones

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    Today, September 12th 2012, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) and Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) sent a joint letter
    to Chairman Genachowski asking for immediate action on prison phone rate
    reform. The letter highlighted the lack of movement on the issue, despite
    the long pending status of the Wright petition at the FCC and
    legislation introduced by Rep. Rush last Congress. Both would provide relief for
    families and friends of prisoners who are charged high costs for phone calls.
    The letter joins recent actions by a civil rights and public interest coalition, grassroots
    activists and families of prisoners asking the FCC for relief from exorbitant interstate
    phone rates.

    Actions that include a report released
    earlier this week by the Prison Policy Initiative about the current state of
    the prison phone industry, and a hundreds of letters
    from prisoners and their families asking the Chairman for action. Prison phone reform activists also directed a tweet at Chairman Genachowski during a September 11th #AskJulius question and answer event via Twitter, where they received the following response:

    Representatives Waxman and Rush highlighted research supporting lowering the cost of calls as a way
    to foster strong relationships between families and inmates. Ensuring inmates
    maintain regular contact with outside support system can help combat the staggering recidivism in the United States. 

    While it remains to be seen what
    next steps the FCC will take or when exactly they will occur, the letter serves as a testimant to the strengthening support for prison phone reform.