New York will become the sixth state to make phone calls free for incarcerated people

Starting next month, New York will become just the sixth state to make phone calls free for incarcerated people. An agreement between the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) and for-profit provider Securus Technologies means costs beyond current limits of three weekly calls totaling 45 minutes will no longer be passed on – at a high premium – to families impacted by incarceration. Families have spent an estimated $13 million annually to stay connected, according to advocacy organization Worth Rises. Osborne’s own Allison Hollihan, director of the New York Initiative for the Children of Incarcerated Parents, has served on a steering group for the organization focused on this issue.