SUPERVISORS MAKE RIGHT CALL ON JAIL CALLS

The nation is slowly but steadily realizing how counterproductive it is to have a criminal justice system that is more about severely punishing people than helping them prepare to lead productive lives. But most jails also go beyond this to actively exploit inmates by charging them excessive rates for phone calls with family members, friends, lawyers and potential future employers. At a time when phone service is dirt-cheap, the Prison Policy Initiative think tank reports that the average cost of one 15-minute phone call from jail is $5.74. It’s highway robbery, but San Diego County jails charge 21 cents per minute for prepaid interstate calls and 33 cents per minute for local and intrastate conversations.

That will soon change. Two months into office, county Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer not only acted to eliminate this obstacle to inmates maintaining ties with the important people in their lives — and make it more likely that they will successfully reintegrate into their communities after their release — she also won unanimous support from the county board for a shift to making the calls free. It’s a no-brainer, but something only a relative handful of county jails in the nation have done. The Sheriff ’s Department, which runs the jails, had no objection.

The criminal justice system is still too punitive and not wed enough to the notion people who make mistakes can redeem themselves. But the momentum for systemic reform is heartening, and LawsonRemer and her peers made the right call.