Everyone wants an affordable way to call loved ones, but for the millions imprisoned in the U.S., it can be a vital lifeline. But the deals some phone companies have made with prisons can make it prohibitively expensive for inmates to contact the outside world.
Research compared the percentage of Latinos and Blacks in private and public prisons in nine states. Each state, at different percentages, had higher rates of people of color residing in private facilities than public facilities. Inmates released from private prisons experienced recidivism at an average rate three percent higher than public prisons.
Over 3,200 people - 3,278 to be exact, are in federal and state prisons serving life-without-parole for nonviolent crimes in the U.S., according to a report conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union.
