Massachusetts May Hang Up on Current Free Inmate Call Program

Another Massachusetts feel-good initiative from the politically correct has turned out to be a disaster in need of a massive overhaul or scrapping altogether.

Unlimited phone calls for most prison inmates was a bad idea from the start, and that call should have been disconnected when first suggested.

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering changes to the program, which has cost taxpayers more than $12 million to date.

What the No Cost Communication Law Changed

Massachusetts passed the No Cost Communication law in 2023, allowing inmates to make unlimited phone calls from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The idea was to ease the financial burden of the calls from prisoners to their families. What it has done instead is create a financial burden for Massachusetts taxpayers and a host of new problems for the jailers.

Why Law Enforcement Is Raising Concerns

"They can make phone calls all day," Capt. Eric Cardoso of the Bristol County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Unit told Providence-based WJAR-TV 10. "We actually had to increase the number of investigators in our unit, as well as get analysts assigned to help us keep up with what's going on in the facility."

Corrections 1 reports, "Unlimited phone access has created unintended consequences, including decreased engagement in rehabilitation and security concerns."

Sheriff Warns of Security and Drug Issues

Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux testified on Beacon Hill about the program.

"A lot of time, inmates are talking on the phone when they would have been doing programming," he said. "You also have a correlation with an increase in witness intimidation and an increase in drug dealing coordination."

Lawmakers Move Toward Revisions

The Massachusetts Inspector General's Office is reviewing the law, and House Republicans are considering changes that could soon appear in legislation.