The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

"If we had not had the telephone funds in the last two years, we would have been in a world of trouble," David Guntharp, director of the Department of Community Correction, told the Legislative Council's charitable, penal and correctional institutions committee.

Guntharp said most of the $347,000 his department received through the fee during the fiscal year that ended June 31 went toward food purchases for community correction center inmates.

Correction Director Larry Norris told lawmakers that the $2.1 million that state prisons received during the same period went toward inmate assistance, general operations, security equipment and long-term needs for the 14,000-inmate prison system.

Earlier this year, prison officials cut the cost of collect calls for inmates by $2, reducing the cost of a 15-minute collect call to $4.80 from $6.60.

Prison officials also reduced the commission the state receives from the calls from 51 percent to 45 percent, following complaints from lawmakers and advocacy groups.

Those groups, however, told lawmakers Thursday that the commission is still too high and complained of poor service from the company contracting with the state to provide the collect call service.

Jennifer Hicks, a member of the Arkansas Coalition for the Bill of Rights for Children of Incarcerated Parents, said the fees tacked on to the calls punish family members of prisoners.

Hicks called the commission an "uncodified tax" that masks the true cost of running Arkansas' prison system.

"If we need an extra $2.5 million in the budget to make sure that there are enough fences and to make sure the kitchens are well equipped to meet standards, then we need to put that in the general revenue," Hicks said. "The state needs to know and be aware of what we're really spending."

Deena Carrow, who has a son in state prison, complained of poor service by the company providing the collect call service _ Global Tel Link _ and said she has had trouble receiving itemized statements from the firm. Carrow also complained about additional fees tacked on when she pays for the service in advance using a credit card.

Rick Ferguson, an account executive with the company, said the additional fees are charged by credit card companies. Ferguson said the company hopes to begin a new system in September where inmates can buy telephone time using money from their commissary account.

Norris said the higher cost for the collect calls is needed partly because of the security procedures uses to monitor inmate phone calls and questioned why other Arkansans should pay for the programs.

"I have a problem as a taxpayer who doesn't have someone locked up paying more taxes to ... do the things we're able to do with this," Norris said.

A member of the panel said he was concerned about the way state prisons were funding programs using the additional fees.

"To come in the back door to finance our prison is the wrong way to do it," said Sen. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)
http://www.pbcommercial.com/articles/2007/08/16/ap-state-ar/d8r2cq500.prt