[Bookstoprisoners] Fwd: We won a major victory for prisoners and their families!

[sara ross]

Hi All, This is interesting news from NY.

 centerforconstitutionalrights


 Dear ryan,

 I’m writing you today to share an important and exciting CCR victory on behalf of New York State prison inmates and their families and to let you know about today’s New York Times editorial  on our success.
 Since 1999, CCR has been fighting in the courts and on the ground to end the exploitative telephone contract between the New York State Department of Correctional Services and MCI/Verizon. This  year, we won.
For families to stay in touch with their loved ones in prison, they  must accept collect calls from a monopoly provider that until  recently cost 630 percent more than regular consumer rates. For ten  years, New York State took a 57.5 percent kickback commission on the profits.

All the research shows that staying in touch with family and community is the single most important factor in a prisoner’s  successful reentry when they get out. Yet more than forty states   have a similar policy gouging prison families for profit and, as a  result, keeping families apart. After our amazing success this  year, New York State will no longer be among them, and we’ll be  working to end the practice across the country.

We launched the New York Campaign for Telephone Justice in 2004  after we began to hear from families that they were being forced to  choose between putting food on the table and speaking to their loved ones due to monthly phone bills in the hundreds of dollars.   Working with prison family organizations like Prison Families of  New York, Inc. and Prison Families Community Forum, we coordinated an extensive campaign that involved grassroots organizing, numerous lawsuits, media outreach, and legislative advocacy.
 And after three years of tireless work, we won!
In January 2007, newly-elected New York Governor Eliot Spitzer  agreed to eliminate the State’s 57.5 percent kickback commission and reduce the prison telephone rates by 50 percent; more savings  are due in September.

In June 2007, the New York State Legislature passed our Family  Connections Bill and made it law that the State will not profit  from any future prison telephone contract and that any future  contract instead must “prioritize the lowest cost to the  consumer.” (Previous contracts were awarded based on which bid would provide the highest commission for the State.) Last week,  Governor Spitzer signed the bill into law.

We’re not finished yet – we continue to fight the legal battle with our case Walton v. NYSDOCS and MCI, which seeks a court judgment that the State’s commission is an illegal and unconstitutional tax.   A victory in the case would prevent future legislatures from  creating similar contracts and would compensate affected families  for the years that they’ve overpaid to remain connected to their loved ones. We argued the most recent round in June and are awaiting a decision.

Due to overwhelming positive response from organizers and prison families in other states, CCR plans to work with grassroots groups  across the country to make the Campaign for Telephone Justice a  national effort so that all families and inmates receive fair rates and can remain in touch with their loved ones. Stay tuned for more  on this exciting new campaign.

Sincerely,

Annette Warren Dickerson
Director of Education and Outreach
Learn More Donate
 Center for Constitutional Rights ll 666 Broadway 7th floor NY, NY   10012 ll 212-614-6464 ll www.ccr-ny.org




       
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