Healey Pushes Plan to Make Calls From State Prisons Free

Gov. Maura Healey is pushing a limited plan to make phone calls from Massachusetts state prisons free of charge.

The move would make Massachusetts the third state to provide free phone calls in state prisons, according to the Boston Globe.

As part of her new budget plan, Healey is pushing a proposal where the phone calls would be free with a 1,000-minute cap every month per person.

According to the Globe, the limit would make it one of the most restrictive programs of those adopted.

The plan would limit it to the state's Department of Correction, which would make county jails and houses of corrections not eligible for this program. County jails and houses of corrections hold more than half of the incarcerated population.

Currently, families and those incarcerated are charged from 12 to 14 cents a minute at most county jails, according to state and county data compiled by Karina Wilkinson for the Keeping Families Connected/No Cost Calls Coalition.

Authorities say they earn commissions that are funneled back into programming, such as for GED testing or vocational workshops, according to the Globe.