Victoria to subsidise the cost of prison phone calls

The Victorian government has promised to reduce the cost of prison phone calls “in the short term”, but is yet to reveal by how much or when this will happen.

The Victorian government will move to subsidise prison phone calls “in the short term” while it negotiates a new contract to deliver these services.

In a progress report on the implementation of recommendations from the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s report on criminal justice, the Victorian government said it would reduce the cost of phone calls from prisons.

It currently costs 57c per minute for someone in prison to make a phone call, equating to $7 for the maximum 12-minute call allowed.

Those working in these prisons earn between $3.55 and $9.60 per hour, meaning those on the lowest salary would have to work two full days to afford one 12-minute phone call with a loved one in the community.

The high price of these phone calls have been criticised for decades and led to concerns about the impact of this on rehabilitation, the ability of those in prison to maintain connections and the financial impact on those in the community.

The Yoorrook Justice Commission recommended that people in prison and youth justice centres be able to “make telephone calls for free or at no greater cost than the general community”.

In its progress update, the Victorian government said it would move to subsidise these calls to reduce their cost.

“In response to this recommendation, the government will subsidise phone calls in the short term for people in prison so they can better connect with their loved ones,” it said.

“Longer-term solutions are also being explored through negotiations with commercial providers of prison telephone services.”

A spokesperson for the Victorian government did not provide any further information on how much cheaper prison phone calls will be, or when these changes will be introduced.

“We encourage people in custody to maintain ties while in custody,” a Victorian government spokesperson said.

“This helps with reintegrating back into the community after completing their sentence. We are working through options to reduce the costs associated with prison phone calls, and we will have more to say on this soon.”

VACRO and a number of other organisations and those with lived experience of prison have campaigned for several years for prison phone calls to be made cheaper or free.

The Victorian government’s announcement has been welcomed by VACRO.

“This is a strongly worded commitment from the government to reduce costs in the short term and seek longer-term solutions for people in prison and their families,” VACRO said.

“Thank you so much to our colleagues across the sector, current and former participants, and advocates currently incarcerated who have been fighting alongside us for this change. We’re going to keep pushing until the government fully funds these calls.”

The recent cultural review into prisons criticised the “prohibitive costs” of these phone calls.

“The combination of very low daily wages for employment within the custodial environment means that people in custody may not be able to remain in contact with family and community,” the review found.

The prison telephone service is currently provided by private company Comsec TR on a six-year contract worth $26 million. This deal will come to an end mid-next year, the state government is currently looking to sign a new deal, which it has said will include plans to make calls cheaper.