Are prison phone rates too high ? why/not ?
Ajit Pai urges states to cap prison phone rates after he helped kill FCC caps
Pai helped kill FCC caps on intrastate prices, now says states must act.
2
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5 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Phone calls should be free for everyone.
dalefvictor
Level 8
July 22, 2020
1
. . . hmmm, that word 'free' doesn't always mean what you want 
It's clear that profit is the priority, not rehabilitation. It would be beneficial for the prisoners and their families if prisoners could more easily keep in contact.
Prison is a fantasy come true for capitalists. A captive population which has very little option but to work constantly for extremely low pay, monopolies on goods is the norm so prices are enormously high, it is impossible for customers to buy from competitors, and they are easy to deal with if they get out of line because they are living in a very high security environment and their civil rights are severely limited.
It's no wonder that the most hardcore capitalist nation has by far the largest prison population the world has ever seen.
RoboGraham
Level 8
July 21, 2020
2
How you figure?
Monopolies are inevitable in a truly free market. That's why we regulate them and break up corporations that get too big.
If capitalist have an issue with the prohibition of drugs and sex work, why have all the capitalist countries outlawed those industries?
Sure, I'm painting with broad strokes. Not getting into the nitty gritty details.
Any free market. Competition on a free market leads to one, or a small group, of organizations putting the others out of business. It's inevitable, some will be more efficient, more ruthless, or be better connected than the others and will pull ahead becoming a juggernaut which the others can no longer compete with so they will be absorbed into the monopoly. This is why we we regulate.
I assume you disagree. Do you have a rebuttal?
That's a tall order since I know of no free markets completely free of intervention.
prison for profit is ridiculous. it is such a moneymaker now that any effort to reduce prison population is it going to be a mess. however, it is wrong and it needs to be fixed, but I don't know how.
hankster
Level 9
July 21, 2020
2
I whole-heartedly agree, pfp is incentivising to keep the prisons full.
I think (hope) that is part of the 'defund' effort(s).
(added)
I'm not an optomist, but perhaps money going to 'military stuff' for police might be shifted back to taxpayer funded prisons.
@FearlessFly I like that idea to shift the funds there. cops don't need that military stuff anyway. If they have it they think they got to use it. justifying their budgets s***
seems mighty steep for someone in prison.
hankster
Level 9
July 21, 2020
1
. . . hmm, wouldn't it be steep for even those not in prison ?
@FearlessFly lol... you're right. I reckon being out of prison you could drive cheaper.
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