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Bill to provide free phone/video calls for incarcerated Rhode Islanders draws wide support
Summary
House Bill 5350 would eliminate charges for phone and electronic messaging for people in DOC custody. Advocates, families and service providers testified that free communication strengthens family ties and reduces recidivism; witnesses and a national nonprofit offered a state cost estimate and implementation precedents from other states.
House Bill 5350, introduced on behalf of Representative Felix and presented by a surrogate, would require the Department of Corrections to provide free communications — including phone and electronic messaging — for people held in state correctional facilities.
Supporters told the committee free communication reduces recidivism and relieves an acute financial burden on families. Jacqueline Kennedy Show, who identified herself as formerly…
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