Free Inmate Phone Call Contract Denied

The Dane County Board voted in favor of a three year contract with Inmate Calling Sollutions LLC, instead of voting in favor of a plan that would provide $25,000 worth of calling cards to inmates. The new phone contract will save Dane County approximately $1.2 million per year. This new contract provides Dane County a $320,000 savings rather than remaining under contract with SBC.

The new contract will charge County inmates $6.25 for a 20 minute phone call. The move to the new phone contract has drawn many Dane County critics. Some critics are not opposed to the inmates being charged for phone calls, but are opposed to the amount of money Dane County will be making with the new contract.

Dane County inmate advocate, Mary Kay Baum, believes that the inmates' families will have to deal with the consequences of the costs associated with the new deal. Another critic, Krista Ralston, of the University of Wisconsin Legal Defense Program, stated that the phone charges to Dane County inmates could be considered "cruel and unusual punishment", and therefore a violation of the Eighth Amedment.

David Blaska, a supporter of the new inmate phone contract, contends that Dane County does not need to provide free phone cards to inmates. He further contends that poverty is not the issue at hand, the incarceration of the inmates is. Blaska argues that organizations that are inmate advocates should come up with the money for the calling card plan because if Dane County did not vote in favor of the new contract, they would lose out on $1.2 million. This revenue could be used for more County programs such as Human Services, and other programs in Dane County.