LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis said one third of families go into debt trying to stay in contact with those incarcerated.
County CEO Fesia Davenport told the board that based on the current volume of inmate calls, the annual fiscal impact of making calls free would be about $27.6 million. But since the number of calls would likely increase once they are free, the true cost would be closer to about $30 million.
She noted that funding is available through a pair of programs, including county Care First Community Investment dollars, but she noted that any use of those funds must first be reviewed and approved by an advisory board established to oversee the money. The CFCI fund was created by voter approval of a measure calling for the county to set aside 10% of its locally generated unrestricted revenue for community investment and alternatives to incarceration.
In addition to the free calls, Solis' original motion also called for the sheriff and county officials to return with a report in 90 days with an implementation plan for "more and diverse programming" for jail inmates."There was an effort to delay this action through an additional report back," Solis noted in her statement after the vote.
Solis' motion stated that easing inmate telephone access to family and friends "is a factor in reduction of the rate of recidivism" ... and has been shown to reduce misconduct in jails "by lowering anxiety and tension." "Providing free phone calls in county jails will relieve and remove the huge financial strain from families who have been unfairly impacted by the incarceration of their loved ones," the motion states. "We should not be penalizing families simply for association."
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