A captive market: The high price of prison phone calls
While Jovaan Lumpkin was in prison, his mother spent thousands of dollars in phone calls to stay connected. His mom, Diane Lewis, continues to advocate to make these calls free for prisoners and their families. Adrian Ma/NPR hide caption
While Jovaan Lumpkin was in prison, his mother spent thousands of dollars in phone calls to stay connected. His mom, Diane Lewis, continues to advocate to make these calls free for prisoners and their families.
Adrian Ma/NPRWhen Diane Lewis' son, Jovaan, was sentenced to prison, she told him to call her every day. What he didn't know at the time is that those collect calls often meant Diane was unable to pay her other bills. Today on the show, how prison phone calls got so expensive, and the movement to make them free.
Related listening:
The Uncounted Workforce
From Prison to the Workforce
The Prisoner's Solution
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