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Telephones

Interview with Marco, Juan and Emilio

JM: Did you have regular access to telephones?
Marco: There were certain times during the day when there was access. There was no issue with being able to use it.
Juan: Yes, there was a phone in the cell block.
Emilio: Yes although some places the phones are broken or have terrible sound quality.

JM: What types of charges applied for calling people? How much money would you guess the average inmate spends per week on phone calls?
Marco: I'm not sure how it worked. My parents put money in my account that they accessed through an online site. You could use collect calling. I think it was 30 cents a minute. You did get one free call every week for an hour. Lawyers calls were always free.
Juan: At the time, we had to call everyone collect. I would guess the average inmate's family spent ten to twenty dollars a week to hear from their loved one. Some inmates, however, never made calls.
Emilio: I think it is around $3 a call. Average inmate probably spends $50/week would be my guess.

JM: Did you need to buy phone cards to call out?
Marco: I'm not sure how that worked. I think you could fill out a form where you could transfer money to your phone account.
Juan: At the time I was there, no.
Emilio: You could buy phone cards or your family could put money on account at a much lower per call rate.

JM: Did the jail screen your calls?
Marco: I think they could but I don't think mine were ever screened.
Juan: They said that they monitored and recorded all calls.
Emilio: Yes the jail can screen your calls.

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