HB23-1133 - prison calls now free in Colorado

[underwaterrhymes]

Below is an uplifting message I just got from Worth Rises, an org that is working to dismantle the prison system. It seems lately so many things are going backwards, but in this particular situation, it’s pretty great forward movement.

”Lately it seems like good news is hard to come by, so we’re really excited to share something incredible with you: We won! Yesterday will go down in history as a day of victory for Colorado families. In a final 23-12 vote, the Senate passed HB23-1133, which will make calls in prisons free across the state. Colorado now joins Connecticut and California as the third state to make prison calls free.

The bill will save Colorado families $7.7 million each year on prison phone calls and represents another triumph over the prison telecom industry that preys on incarcerated people and families — disproportionately in Black, Brown, and low-income communities — to pad their bottom line. Today, 50% of families with a loved one inside struggle to meet basic housing and food needs. Yesterday’s vote is a game-changer for Colorado families.”

[tacokick]

That is amazing! I hope other states continue to do this.

[gretchenindisguise]

That's really great! Phone call costs from prisons are astronomical and really impact social stability of folks who are incarcerated.

[taratru]

This will have such a positive impact.

[kiminky]

PDQ

My daughter's father (we are no longer together) was in prison when I was pregnant with her. It was such a stressful pregnancy and those phone calls were a lifeline at the time. But they became so expensive. I borrowed money from my parents, maxxed what I had to be able to have the calls. It felt like trauma on top of trauma at the time. This type of bill will be so helpful to families in so many situations.