Jail inmates in Monroe County and across much of New York are paying phone rates 15 times what is charged in state prisons, a new report shows.

The $9.95 rate for a 15-minute, in-state call is shared by dozens of local jails in New York. That is far more expensive than calling out-of-state, and three times what jails in Ontario and Orleans counties charge, the nonprofit Prison Policy Initiative report found.

Counties profit off the jailhouse calls through commissions. Monroe County collects 66 percent on gross, generating $870,000 off jailhouse calls last year.

Prison Policy's State of Phone Justice report, released Monday, comes at a time of increased pressure for reforming the nation's corrections system, including industries that profit from it. New York City last summer eliminated charges on its jailhouse calls, becoming the first major city in the nation to do so.

In Monroe County, the money has gone to upgrade security cameras, covered computer system improvements, bought GPS monitors after an inmate escaped during a hospital visit, and paid for repairs to everything from the roof to grounds equipment like the lawnmower, said Monroe County Undersheriff Korey Brown.

"Sometimes the money is used for good purposes," said Peter Wagner, executive director for Prison Policy Initiative and co-author of the report. "But if so, there should be other ways to pay for that.

"I'm not sure why Monroe County has a regressive tax structure that charges the poorest residents for lawnmower repair. And is the county Legislature aware that is how budgeting is working?"

In its latest report, the Massachusetts-based think tank notes challenges faced by local sheriffs and jail bureaus, but argues the near duopoly that exists in corrections telephone service is gouging low-income families trying to stay connected.

Jail phone rates in New York are far less than in some other states, notably Arkansas and Michigan (where a 15-minute call can cost as much as $22). But providers are charging far more in local jails than in state prisons.

Monroe is among the dozens of counties, also including Livingston, that contract with provider Global Tel*Link, which until recently also held the New York state prison contract. Jail inmates pay $1.85 for the first minute, and 10 cents for each additional minute on local calls; $4.35 for the first minute and 40 cents for each additional minute for in-state calls outside the (585) area code totaling $9.95 for 15 minutes.

The statewide average is $7.79, according to the report. But Virginia-based GTL charged state prison inmates less than a nickel a minute for an in-state call.

A messages left with GTL was not immediately returned.

Prison phone rates have gone down significantly over the past decade due to political pressure and increased federal regulation.

"The state was making millions off this, but they had millions of costs," said Peter Kehoe, executive director for the New York State Sheriff's Association. "Then it became a political thing .... The costs didn’t go away. Somebody is paying for that, and it's now the taxpayer instead of the person who is actually benefiting from the call.

"We just shifted from the inmates' family to the state taxpayer for the political benefit of some politician."

Wagner sees it differently: "If you want to talk about a regressive tax structure, this is a tax that only the poorest residents of Monroe County will pay."

Baxter inherited GTL contract

One-third of Rochester residents and more than half its children live in poverty. The city's poverty rate has been climbing. The same is true for for Monroe and Livingston counties. More than one in seven residents of both locales are struggling to get by on roughly $230 a week, or less, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter inherited the local contract with GTL when he took office in January 2018. The county contract dates from 2010, covering the downtown jail and the Monroe Correctional Facility on East Henrietta Road, and is up for a one-year renewal in August.

"It's not like a phone system in your house. It’s very sophisticated," Brown said of GTL's LazerPhone system, describing a "huge infrastructure" maintained by a full-time GTL staffer.

An inmate's first phone call, and attorney calls, are free. And the vast majority of calls — 80 percent according to one assessment — are local calls, with a rate of $1.85 for the first minute, and 10 cents for each additional minute, Brown said.

Out-of-state calls are 21 cents a minute if prepaid; 25 cents when calling collect. That is set by federal regulation. And it ends up being less expensive than in-state calls.

The sheriff's office operates on an $83 million budget, including salaries, and "that gets us to our minimum," Brown said of the need for additional revenue.

The commission is used for the inmates' benefit, mainly safety, Brown said — even when it comes to the lawnmowers, which are used by inmates in the outside work program. Kehoe also points to costs associated with escorting inmates to and from the calls, and overseeing the calling area.

GTL is the association's endorsed provider, a designation bestowed through a request for proposal process. Counties negotiate individual contracts. But the association serves as a liaison, working as a troubleshooter and improvements, both to the standard phone system and with extras like video conferencing and tablets.

The association got involved in jail phone services about 20 years ago, working to improve service, county revenues and requiring that phone rates be less than for a collect call to prevent price gouging, Kehoe said. For its work, the association, too, collects a commission (3 percent, or thereabouts), on each call.

Despite agitation by the Prison Policy Initiative, there have been no concerns raised, nor discussion about rates charged, Brown said.

Yearly commission totals were not immediately available but Brown said it tracks with the jail population, and that has been steadily declining. By that measure, even accounting for a 2014 rate adjustment, it's likely that Monroe County has profited $7 million or more off jailhouse calls over the course of the contract.

County jails at disadvantage when negotiating

GTL lost its prison contract to Texas-based Securus Technologies, which is charging still less, officials said. Together the two companies provide service to 3.2 million inmates across North America.

Securus is in its second contract with Ontario County, charging $0.21 per minute for all calls, making a 15-minute in-state call $3.15. The Prison Policy Initiative plugged in the phone number for the governor's office in each state to determine a provider's phone rate.

Ontario County collects a 65 percent commission, said Ontario County Sheriff’s Sgt. Charles Tomes. That generated $104,654 last year, which went into the county's general fund.

"GTL is capable of selling phone service for a couple cents a minute, but the sheriffs don’t fight for a good deal because they are making money on it," Wagner said, adding that Monroe County also could reduce the rate by eliminating its commission.

County jails are at a comparative disadvantage in negotiating better contracts, Wagner's report concedes, being smaller, cash-strapped and, without an expensive consultant, likely to struggle negotiating a telecommunications contract and instead relying on a provider's suggested language.

Jail inmates typically are in and out in comparatively shorter stretches than the prison population, so they and their families are unlikely to assert any sustained political pressure about phone rates charged. It's one reason cited by the local Judicial Process Commission, which advocates for better inmate conditions, for why phone rates have not risen on their radar.

BDSHARP@Gannett.com



