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Telephones

Interview with Shawanda Miller, Jeremy, Chuck, Charles and Josh

JM: Did you have regular access to telephones?
Shawanda Miller: Yes. During non lockdown times. You couldn't use the phone after breakfast until the cleaning was done. Lockdown used to be 1 hour before lunch, 1 hour before supper. Then they'd shut the phones off at 10:00 pm.
Jeremy: Ya, we had a phone in the pod. During booking they give you a $5 free phone card that you can use when in the pod and get dayroom.
Chuck: Yeah we did. There were 2 phones on the unit, pretty much turned on for the whole day.
Charles: yes. VERY EXPENSIVE AND REDICULOUS!!!!
Josh: The telephones cost about 10$ for a ten minute call and nobody wants to get that call. When you get in they give you a calling card with about 5 minutes of calling time.

JM: What types of charges applied for calling people? How much money would you guess the average inmate spends per week on phone calls?
Shawanda Miller: Collect used to be $2.35 for approximately 10 minutes.
Jeremy: Dont know
Chuck: $1.35 a minute and you only get ten minutes to talk.
Charles: I didn't generally make calls because it was so expensive but I think the average inmate who's making calls daily/weekly would have to be spending somewhere in the range of $30-$60???
Josh: It was an average of $10 for a phone call. Some people got on the phones for what seemed like every day. The jail I was in offered skype a video confrencing application. I got one skype from my brother. Id guess some inmates spent at least $20 a week on the phone.

JM: Did you need to buy phone cards to call out?
Shawanda Miller: Before all calls where collect. But now I believe you can buy phone cards in the amount of $5.00, $10.00, $15.00 & $20.00. The other jails like Ramsey County, Washington County, you have to set up an account. Dakota County uses or used to use Evercom Correctional Billing Services and you still need to call them to set up an account and they would let the first $100 or $200 go through I believe.
Jeremy: Well, you get the free card when you are booked in. After that I am pretty sure you have to buy the cards. When you are released there is a FREE phone in the lobby where you can call anyone! Long distance also.
Chuck: You could buy phone cards from the canteen.
Charles: Yes. At ridiculous rates though.
Josh: You get one free calling card when you get to jail. After that you need to buy calling cards to call out.

JM: Did the jail screen your calls?
Shawanda Miller: The jail records all phone calls
Jeremy: I am sure they did.
Chuck: Oh yeah... all the time.
Charles: I was told they could and would.
Josh: The jail does screen all calls.

Read about how inmates pass the time in the Dakota County Jail