Prison phone calls - too expensive?

[Oneeyedvic]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7470051.st m

An official complaint about telephone calls from prison costing seven times normal payphone rates has been made by the National Consumer Council (NCC).

The group says that half the calls made from jail last less than three minutes because of the high costs involved.

It has made a super-complaint about the issue to regulator Ofcom.

But provider BT says pricing is unusual owing to security and the government argues that cutting the cost would need a public subsidy.

Should prison calls be subsidised?

[beanebabe]

Oh flippin heck, they'll be giving them all free mobile phones next, just to make things a bit more comfortable for them. Send them all to boot camp - those that don't get hung of course!

[theonlyone]

If you do the crime ...do the time ..it's
not a holiday camp ..it's SUPPOSED to
be a punishment ....yeah right ....

[ruby27]

Before subsidising the calls, I would want the pricing checked out. It may be perfectly legitimate by BT, but 7 times more expensive does seem excessive.

If the research is correct, that those who are in telephone contact with family/friends are so much less likely to reoffend, then, pragmatically it would seem sensible to subsidise the call charges. This would seem cheaper than the cost to the victim and society generally.

[Ethel]

What are they going to do about the high cost of telephone calls for hospital patients? The bed-bound can't use their mobiles, and relatives can't phone them.

That really is rip off charging

[888sally888]

If someone was in prison for hurting oneof my family, I wouldnt give a t0ss if they were ripped off or not!

[Velvetee]

I'd give them free mobile phones. As a tax payer, I'd happily contribute to such a scheme. Afterall, it's the criminal that matters and not their victims!