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May 06, 2005

Contact MCI to Challenge their exploitation of families of incarcerated women and men

CURE-NY Newsletter, the Center for Constitutional Rights is sponsoring a bus to the MCI Stockholders’ Meeting in Chantilly, VA on May 16, to make MCI stockholders aware of the telephone injustice perpetrated on families of prisoners.
In support of this, please send a letter, fax or email to the MCI Directors to make them fully aware of our concern. The fax number for the MCI Board of Directors is (703) 886 6111. You can send an email to them via their website, http://global.mci.com/about/governance/board/contactboard/
Talking points below:

Challenge MCI's illegal contract with New York which:
• Charges families of persons incarcerated 630% more for a phone call from a New York State prison than for a call by the average consumer.

• Gives a kickback of 57.5% of the huge profits each year to the state of New York.

• Has taken $175 million from prisoner’s families for kickbacks to the NYS Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) since 1996.

• Unjustly targets mostly low income women and children, families of persons incarcerated.

• Makes it even harder for persons incarcerated to bond with family members, despite the fact that close contact with loved ones has been proven to decrease recidivism rates and future crime.

• Isolates children of persons incarcerated from their parent, leading to another lost generation.

Stop family exploitation;
Support family preservation;
Support the NYS “Family Connection” Bill, A.7231;
Amend the MCI/NYSDOCS contract;
Allow low-cost “debit” and “collect” services.

Posted by lois at May 6, 2005 03:44 PM

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