A Boring Dystopia

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Jails banned in-person visits in order to maximize revenue from voice and video calls as part of a "quid pro quo kickback scheme" with prison phone companies (arstechnica.com)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/aboringdystopia

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Across the United States, hundreds of jails have eliminated in-person family visits over the last decade. Why has this happened? The answer highlights a profound flaw in how decisions too often get made in our legal system: for-profit jail telecom companies realized that they could earn more profit from phone and video calls if jails eliminated free in-person visits for families. So the companies offered sheriffs and county jails across the country a deal: if you eliminate family visits, we'll give you a cut of the increased profits from the larger number of calls. This led to a wave across the country, as local jails sought to supplement their budgets with hundreds of millions of dollars in cash from some of the poorest families in our society.

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[+] verdantbanana -87 points 7 months ago (4 children)

another article on more broken campaign promises by Biden and prosecutor Harris

even though the Democrats and Republicans both are responsible for this mess the Democrats are likely to blame Republicans and try to raise funds off it

works every time

[–] neatchee 52 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Please cite the campaign promise that applies here?

[+] NocturnalMorning -12 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Can't we just be pissed off that the federal government is allowing this to happen? I know OP specifically called out campaign promises, but they absolutely could and should fix this, congress and the executive branch don't care.

It is absolutely on them that this is still a thing even if OP is misdirecting.

[–] neatchee 27 points 7 months ago

Totally still pissed. Just not down with people exploiting that emotion to spread misinformation

[–] Landmammals 20 points 7 months ago

The article mentions a lot of county jails, but are federal prisons doing this? I'm pretty sure the executive branch isn't in charge of county jails.

I think the supreme Court could probably decide that this is cruel and unusual punishment. Or that Congress could pass a federal law setting regulations for local jails.

I'm not a jail expert, but this sounds like something Biden has no control over.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Looks to me like you're a republican trying to blame democrats.

[–] FlashMobOfOne 10 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

No point in fighting over it. Both major parties have contributed to the profit prison system, and Biden undeniably did by championing the regressive 94 Crime Bill.

[–] YottaDren 5 points 7 months ago

Yes, but seeing as they make so many mistakes, it's important to hold them to things they actually did. Not just make up stuff.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

I wasn't fighting over it, I was just name calling. You know, saying it like it is.

[+] [email protected] -22 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (3 children)

Looks to me like you're so indoctrinated by to the two party system that you can't even fathom that someone might hate both parties (because they 100% serve the same people and goals), and hell, the system in its entirety.. 🙄

Gotta love an "enlightened" centrist lol

[–] Landmammals 12 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Not really about an endorsement of the two-party system. When you go to the gas pump and see a picture of biden's face with an I did that sticker, it's a pretty safe bet that the person who put that up is a Republican.

Likewise, when you see someone criticizing the Biden administration for things that county jails are doing, safe bet it's a Republican.

But apparently your definition of enlightened centerists includes people who know what the executive branch actually controls.

Biden doesn't have a gas price dial on his desk, and doesn't set visitation policies for county jails.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 7 months ago

Or it’s one of the Russians paid to sow discord across social media platforms, same as they’ve been doing since 2016 at least.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

I' m from a country with a 20+ party system, so I can imagine quite well. Also, US centrist is far right over here.

[–] Passerby6497 2 points 7 months ago

Another worthless comment by a political troll.