WDOC saves big and increases security

Inmate phone calls have been a point of contention in corrections facilities across the country. While New Mexico has come under fire for monitoring inmate calls, New York offenders are protesting the high collect call rates they must incur to phone home.

The Washington Department of Corrections is looking at the phone problem a bit differently. It is giving inmates a new phone deal while it realizes a $5.1 million annual savings and increases its and the community's overall security.

Thanks to the recent partnership between the WDOC and communications company FSH, offenders can take advantage of a flat-rate plan for all calls, which will be implemented statewide this summer.

“The phone system we have in place is typical of many DOCs,” says WDOC spokesperson, Gary Larson. “Right now, our system is basically a collect call system and inmates pay anywhere from $20 to $22 for a 20-minute phone call.”

The WDOC and FSH partnership came about when state legislature required the department to reduce phone call costs. FSH has a long history of providing telephone services to corrections nationwide and customizing its services to meet the needs of each DOC.

“FSH is certainly aware of how sensitive DOCs are to the rates and costs of inmate phone calls,” says Dana Alixander, FSH sales director. “For the state of Washington, we wanted to develop a consistent flat-rate plan across the board. Typically, most of our rates for any given DOC will vary because many factors go into determining rates; the volume of calls made, the inmate population, and how expensive the lines are to maintain.”

Under the new FSH plan, WDOC inmates will pay a standard $3.50 fee for a 20-minute call.

FSH will require inmates to submit records of the numbers they wish to call, which will be approved by corrections officials. The system will not allow inmates to dial phone unapproved numbers.

“By law, inmates are not allowed to make phone calls to certain people, such as victims,” explains Larson. “But our current phone system does not prevent an inmate from making those calls. With the FSH system, these calls will be documented and approved. That will reduce the chance of harassment and fraud.”

Offenders will pay for calls by entering an ID number, which will be used to deduct charges from their bank accounts. Family members can deposit money into these accounts as well.

“It's not just about collect phone calls any more. Inmates now have a chance to use a new phone technology at the WDOC,” Larson says.

FSH will initially collect the $3.50 from inmates for each phone call, but the company will return $5.1 million annually to the WDOC. According to Larson, those savings will go into corrections accounts like victim witness funds.

“Overall, we will save a substantial amount of money with this program. We will be able to use those savings to make big changes in WDOC programs, and help our offenders return to the community as well as aid victims,” he says.

As the WDOC prepares to set an example for inmate phone call costs, corrections officials are lauding the additional security for the community.