Talk is cheap — except if you’re in a Southern California jail, where a 15-minute in-state phone call can cost up to $18.75.
Elsewhere around the United States, telephone rates in state can exceed $20 for 15 minutes.
The rates are so high that the Federal Communications Commission this month reached out to the nation’s governors to control in-state phone charges. The FCC recommends a cap of $3.15 per 15 minutes for prepaid jail calls using a credit card.
Under federal law, the FCC has no jurisdiction over what phone vendors charge for in-state calls. That is the responsibility of state and local lawmakers. Jail calls outside of state cost about 16 cents per minute and the FCC is trying to get that even lower.
“We know that keeping inmates and their loved ones connected reduces recidivism and helps children with incarcerated parents. And given that most inmates are incarcerated in the same state where their families live, the rates charged for intrastate calls are critically important,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a prepared statement.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many jails to suspend visitations, making telephone communication even more crucial, officials say. Eighty percent of the jail and prison phone calls are in state.
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners joined with the FCC this month in writing a letter to the National Governors Association asking for the local rates to be lowered.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office did not return repeated calls for comment.
GTEL, one of the largest provider of jail phone services, serving 2,300 facilities and 1.8 million inmates in 50 states, declined to comment.
At the Clovis city jail, a 15-minute in-state phone call costs $26.25, the highest rate in California and one of the highest in the nation.
Next in California come the city jails in Buena Park, Corona, Costa Mesa, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach and Westminster — all with a phone rate of $18.75 for 15 minutes. That amounts to $1.25 per minute.
The phone rates at most of the large county jails in Southern California are in the $3 range. In San Bernardino County, it is $6 per 15 minutes in state, according to the FCC.
In Costa Mesa, the jail phone service recently changed from Legacy Inmate Communications to NCIC inmate communications, said police spokeswoman Roxie Fiyad. With the vendor switch, rates dropped to 25 cents per minute or $3.75 per 15 minutes, Fiyad said. A percentage of the phone charge goes to a special fund to purchase supplies for inmates, Fiyad said.
Additionally, she said, inmates get three free phone calls before the charges kick in.
At the Corona city jail, Sgt. Chad Fountain said the phone contract with Legacy has been terminated to reduce costs. Fountain didn’t know whether new rates would be negotiated with a yet-to-be chosen vendor. He said inmates can use the police station phone to make free calls.
In Hermosa Beach, the jail used phone vendor Legacy for eight years. The company gave the city 60 percent of call revenue — a total of $4,905 from 2015 to 2020. In June, Hermosa Beach changed vendors to NCIC, which has lower rates and pays the city 20 percent of call revenue, said city spokesman Mick Gaglia. Inmates initially get three free phone calls.
The new rate is $3.75 for a 15-minute, interstate call, just a little over what the FCC recommends.
Newport Beach also used Legacy, but switched in June over to Cen-Tex Pay Telephone Co. City spokesman John Pope said Newport Beach gets about $300 a month from the phone revenue, but spends it on newspapers and small amenities for the inmates. The new rate is $7.50 for a 15-minute in-state call — more than twice the recommended rate.
“Newport Beach regularly evaluates our contracts and pricing to ensure alignment with comparable cities and we will do so with this contract as well,” Pope said.
Other cities did not return requests for comment. Legacy could not be reached.
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Inmate phone cost per 15-minute intrastate call
Buena Park $18.75
Corona $18.75
Costa Mesa $18.75*
Hawthorne $18.75
Hermosa Beach $18.75*
Inglewood $18.75
Manhattan Beach $18.75
Newport Beach $18.75**
Westminster $18.75
Alhambra $17.25
* Now $3.75.
** Now $7.50
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