When you get complimentary engineering science , you could reasonably presume that you ’re getting screw . That ’s infinitely truer if you ’re in prison .
As Reasonfirst reported , the West Virginia Division of Corrections struck a stack in February with GTL ( formerly Global Tel*Link ) , the rent - seeking prison telecommunications companionship that ’s beengobbling up modest providersand gouging inmates for , in one Oregon county , nearly $ 18 for a 15 - minute of arc phone call . Under the terms of the deal , GTL provides inmates with tablets for “ complimentary . ”
GTL ’s West Virginia contract bridge stipulates that the inmates would be able to apply the tablet to text , current music , play games , make picture cry , and read books , among other thing . The hardware is costless , but doing anything on it costs a portion . As outlined in the 2019GTL contract , content admission costs 5 cents / minute , video visitation be 25 centime / instant , plus 25 cents per written message , 50 cents per photo fastening , and a dollar per video attachment . That could mean that texting one photo equates to up to 12.5 man - hour of labor , based on the Prison Policy Initiative ’s 2017 estimate that West Virginia inmatesmake between4 cents and 58 cents an hour . Alex Wright , ofLeveland theInside Books Project , told Gizmodo that at least eight other province , include Colorado , Missouri , New York , South Dakota , Indiana , Delaware , Maine , and South Carolina , now volunteer “ free ” tablets .
Image: (AP)
Aside from the shocking fees , a video visitation choice seems great on its side , since it enables inmate to see friends and family inhibited by distance or disabilities ( as the West Virginia Division of Corrections emphasise to Gizmodo ) . But not even that , as a concept , looks predict , as the Prison Policy Initiativefoundin 2015 , many jails have used it to eliminate in - mortal visits altogether . ( This is not the face with most prisons yet , nor in West Virginia . )
The West Virginia Division of Corrections collects a 5 percent commission on the charges , but a spokesperson clarified to Gizmodo that all takings go to a “ welfare fund ” for “ open house trial , unpaid equipment , holiday dinners , and other opportunities that would not otherwise be available . ” They further state that they are still collecting Holy Writ contribution and that using the tablets are optional .
This still leaves the enquiry of why the prison system could n’t organize a program to hook up Skype and cadge up some financial backing for basic services without kowtowing to a nefarious pot that bleeds inmate ironical . On its site , GTL advertises that it process $ 800 million in quotation card transactions in 2018 alone and controls communications of 1.8 million captive across all 50 states , amounting to over three - quarters of the U.S. prison universe . Back in 2007 , GTL and its subsidiary , TCG ( formerly owned by AT&T),were pursuedby the state of Florida for allegations of improperly dropping Call , which is n’t just icky serve ; GTL charges an exorbitantly gamy premium ( we found it chargedmore than $ 5 in one Oregon county ) for the first minute of a phone call , and it was estimated that refund would have cost up to $ 6 million . ( The companyeventually settledfor $ 1.25 million , on the condition that there was no finding of guiltiness ) .
The Federal Communications Commission for years attempted to reign in fee on inmates ’ calls , vote in 2015 to crest them at 11 cent a minute . But in 2017 , after some sound setbacks and under Trump - nominate FCC Chairman Ajit Pai , the representation reportedlydroppedits cause .
“ It ’s not surprising that Global Tel Link is the company behind this practice , ” president of the Prison Book Program , Marlene Cook , enjoin Gizmodo . “ It is deplorable to damage - gouge a literally captive audience . ”
“ States like West Virginia are in on the con , too , ” Wright told us . “ They get kickback from the for - profit troupe that provide these complimentary tablets with horrendously limited and expensive content . The State of Colorado Department of Corrections , for model , receives a flat payment of $ 800,000 a year from Global Tel Link for this short - sighted cozenage . ”
As for the books , the Appalachian Prison Book Project , whichpublished a reporton the West Virginia contract , direct out that many of the books are available through the on-line library Project Gutenberg , which does not include the kinds of books inmate typically request , including “ how - to guides ( carpentry , starting a business , resort small engines , etc . ) , contemporary fable , democratic mysteries and sci - fi , African American literature , aboriginal studies , [ and ] late autobiography . ” Ashley Asmus from the Women ’s Prison Book Project added to that list books on GED preparation , addiction convalescence , and parenting from prison ; she also noted to Gizmodo that “ while we applaud the service that Project Gutenberg provides , ” their depository library focuses on honest-to-god literature , which necessarily stand for that authors of colour are not decent play .
To recap , in addition to charge to use the “ detached ” pad of paper , GTL gets to agitate inmates for books it did n’t even pay up for . “ The depicted object that Global Tel Link [ GTL ] and other similar prison house profiteering companies are charge by - the - minute for is often loose , Creative Commons or public domain material , ” Wright told Gizmodo . “ Their lucre - seeking is destitute of ethics , bad for prisoners , unfit for taxpayers and shortsighted . Limiting education and literacy among captive – literally charging some of the miserable the great unwashed among us by - the - minute to get at free subject – is a sure agency to keep marginalized masses the right way there in prison house . expound approach to education and literacy – and provide the content for loose – has been shown to measurably better income , decrease unemployment and boil down re - incarceration for inmates when they ’re released . ”
When reached by Gizmodo , Billy Wolfe of the ACLU West Virginia also called the practice session of blame people for otherwise - gratis book “ exploitatory and unconscionable , ” a quote I ’m adding just to up the volume in the cacophony of voices fit in that this is terrible .
Gizmodo has give out to GTL about their soulless , parasitic cozenage and will update the post when we see back .
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