San Francisco Bans Jail Phone Call Fees
Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to stop overcharging inmates for phone calls & commissary items
By Johnny Funcheap - posted 7/15/2020
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Thanks to KQED for letting us know that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this week to permanently stop charging exorbitant markups for items in jail stores and to permanently end the practice of charging people in county jail for phone calls.
The measure, first introduced by Mayor London Breed last year, and now made permanent, is among the first of its kind in the nation.
San Francisco inmates had previously been charged 15¢ per minute for phone calls and were charged a 43% markup on products sold in the jail commissary, including basic items like soap, coffee and food.
The change is expected to save jailed inmates and their families $1.7 million a year.
Read more at KQED
