Bill Text: NJ S1626 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires lowest possible price for inmate telephone calls.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-04 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S1626 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-S1626-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM
District 31 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Requires lowest possible price for inmate telephone calls.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning inmate telephone services and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. All telephone service contracts for inmates in State correctional facilities shall be subject to the procurement provisions set forth in chapter 34 of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes; provided, however, the State Treasurer shall contract with the qualified vendor who proposes the lowest per minute rate and does not impose a surcharge for each telephone call.
b. A State department shall not accept or receive revenue in excess of its actual operating cost for establishing and administering telephone services as provided in subsection a. of this section.
2. a. The Department of Corrections shall make available either a prepaid or collect call system, or a combination thereof, for telephone services for inmates.
b. Under a prepaid system, funds may be deposited into an inmate account in order to pay for telephone calls, provided that nothing in this section shall require the department to provide or administer a prepaid system.
c. For the purposes of this section a "collect call system" shall mean a call system pursuant to which recipients are billed for the cost of an accepted telephone call initiated by an inmate.
d. The provider of the inmate telephone service, as an additional means of payment, shall permit the recipient of inmate collect calls to establish an account with that provider in order to deposit funds for advance payment of those collect calls.
3. The department shall establish rules and regulations or departmental procedures to ensure that any inmate telephone call system established by this act provides reasonable security measures to preserve the safety and security of each State correctional facility, staff member, and person outside a facility who may receive inmate telephone calls.
4. This act shall take effect on April 1, 2010 and shall apply to any new or renewal contract for inmate telephone services entered into on or after April 10, 2010.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the State to contract with the lowest bidder for telephone service contracts for inmates in State correctional facilities. A bidder would not be authorized to impose a surcharge on inmate telephone calls. The bill prohibits a State department from accepting or receiving revenue in excess of its actual operating cost for establishing and administering inmate telephone services.
The bill also would require the Department of Corrections to make available a prepaid or collect call system, or a combination of the two, for telephone services. Under a prepaid or "debit" system, funds may be deposited into an inmate account in order to pay for telephone calls, as long as the department is not required to provide for or administer that prepaid system. The provider of the inmate telephone service, as an additional means of payment, must permit the recipient of inmate collect calls to establish an account with that provider in order to deposit funds for advance payment of those collect calls.
Currently, a private vendor provides telephone services to inmates in this State's correctional facilities under the terms of a five-year contract with the State. Under that contract, the State collects a 40 percent commission, as well as a $1.75 surcharge, on each inmate call. This revenue is deposited into the State Treasury's General Fund. The provisions of this bill would take effect upon the expiration of this State contract on April 10, 2010.
According to the Campaign to Promote Equitable Telephone Charges, New Jersey has the third highest collect call telephone rates for inmates out of 47 states analyzed. Studies show that inmates who maintain contact with their families and communities while incarcerated are less likely to reoffend. But inflated telephone rates such as those in this State discourage frequent communication. Furthermore, surcharges on these telephone calls amount to an unfair tax on the family members of inmates who often must choose between talking to their loved ones in prison or meeting basic needs, such as food, rent, and heat. It is the sponsor's intent to end this "backdoor tax" imposed on inmates' families.
This bill is in response to recommendations concerning prisoner reentry received at Statewide legislative hearings.
