Skip navigation
Prison Legal News
× You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.

People in jails are using more phone minutes during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite decreased jail populations

Loaded on April 1, 2021 by Andrea Fenster published in Prison Legal News April, 2021, page 54
Filed under: COVID-19, Telephone Access, Reduction of Prison Population. Location: United States of America.

Our study of 14 jails finds that there were 8% more overall minutes used during the pandemic, despite the fact that nationwide jail populations have fallen about 15%.

by Andrea Fenster, Prison Policy Initiative

People in jails spent 8% more time on the phone over a three-month period of 2020 than ...

 

Full article and associated cases available to subscribers.

As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.

Subscribe today

Already a subscriber? Login

More from this issue:

  1. Jail Suicides in Massachusetts Point to National Crisis: Challenging Legislatures to Say Not One More, by Jennifer Honig
  2. Government Refuses to Follow Federal Court’s Discovery Order After Being Caught Recording Attorney Meetings with Prisoners at Leavenworth, by Dale Chappell
  3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
  4. Mississippi Joins Illinois and Few Other States Prioritizing Vaccination of State Prisoners to Slow Spread of COVID-19, by Derek Gilna
  5. Pandemic Medical Update: “Herd Immunity” at Prisons?, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
  6. Texas Winter Storm Freezes Plumbing, Power and Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
  7. Massachusetts Governor Ends Good Time Offer for Prisoners Taking COVID-19 Vaccine, by David Reutter
  8. Connecticut Lawmakers Refuse to Address Corrections Issues During Pandemic, by Anthony Accurso
  9. Confidential Settlement in Case Involving Alleged Pattern of Racist Misconduct in Michigan Prisons, by Casey Bastian
  10. California Trans Women Struggle For Protection Under Prison Rape Elimination Act, by Edward Lyon
  11. Oklahoma Prisoners Call for Better Nutrition, by Kevin Bliss
  12. Florida Jail Administrators Fired After Woman Gives Birth in Cell, by Daniel A. Rosen
  13. Holiday Cards for Prisoners: Let’s End Collective Punishment in U.S. Prisons, by Sandy Rozek
  14. Virginia Settles Two Lawsuits Over Misuse of Solitary Confinement, by Daniel A. Rosen
  15. COVID-19 Inspired Ban on Prison Visits in Texas Ends, by Chad Marks
  16. Activist, Political Prisoner, and Journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal Diagnosed With COVID-19, Energizing Calls for His Release, by Juliette LaMarr
  17. COVID-19 Pandemic Makes Job Hunting Especially Difficult for Ex-Offenders, by Kevin Bliss
  18. U.S. Sues Alabama Over Prison Conditions, by David Reutter
  19. Florida Prison Guard Indicted in Prisoner Death by Blunt Force Trauma, by David Reutter
  20. Michigan Begins Video Visits During Coronavirus Pandemic, by David Reutter
  21. Hawaii Fails to Provide Video of Two Prison Disturbances, by Edward Lyon
  22. California Prison Factories Fined For Exposing Unwitting Workers to COVID-19, by Mark Wilson
  23. Sixth Circuit Upholds Prisoner’s 18 U.S.C. § 111 Conviction for Assaulting Federally Contracted Private Prison Guard, by Matthew Clarke
  24. "Conservative New York County Enacts Progressive Transgender Prisoner Policy", by Mark Wilson
  25. COVID-19 Depletes State Prison Staffs Nationwide, Forcing Consolidation of Facilities and Increasing Risk to All, by Derek Gilna
  26. After 36 Years in a Louisiana Prison for a Rape He Didn’t Commit, Archie Williams Wins Freedom — and a TV Show Spotlight, by Casey Bastian
  27. COVID-19 Continues Rampage Through Pennsylvania State Prisons, by Derek Gilna
  28. $105,000 Settlement in Wisconsin Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim, by David Reutter
  29. Alabama Jails and Prisoners Swamped With COVID-Related Problems, by Daniel A. Rosen
  30. How States Exclude People With Criminal Records From Jury Service, by Dale Chappell
  31. Study Shows Misaligned Economic Incentives Fuel Mass Incarceration, by Matthew Clarke
  32. California Enacts Legislation Strengthening Protections for LGBTQ Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
  33. Baltimore Demolishes Maryland’s Oldest Penitentiary, Burying Its Nostalgia And Nightmares, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
  34. Books: “Let The Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty”, by Robert Dunham
  35. Florida Senator Wants to Keep Ex-Prisoners from Earning the $15 Minimum Wage Increase, by Kevin Bliss
  36. Former Prisoner Becomes Activist for LBGTQ Rights in California Prisons
  37. Parnall Correctional Facility in Michigan Copes with Scabies Outbreak, by Kevin Bliss
  38. Fourth Circuit: Deaf North Carolina Prisoner Should be Allowed Direct Videophone Calls to Communicate with Deaf Community, by David Reutter
  39. People in jails are using more phone minutes during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite decreased jail populations, by Andrea Fenster
  40. Ransomware Attack on GEO Group Exposes Sensitive Information, by Matthew Clarke
  41. Hundreds of Virginia Inmates Await Parole Consideration Under New Law, by Daniel A. Rosen
  42. Colorado’s Governor Bows to Pressure in Denying State Prisoners Priority COVID-19 Vaccinations, by Derek Gilna
  43. More Than 40 Immigrants Have Died in ICE Custody, by Anthony Accurso
  44. Experts Divided on Drug Court Effectiveness, by Kevin Bliss
  45. Secrecy Surrounded Flurry of Late-Term Federal Executions Under Donald Trump, by Derek Gilna
  46. New Advocacy Group for New Mexico Prisoners Created, by Dale Chappell
  47. Vermont Prisoner’s Death Under Investigation: Did Implicit Bias Play Role?, by Kevin Bliss
  48. News in Brief

More from Andrea Fenster:

More from these topics: