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House Corrections and Institutions Committee hears UVM findings on H.294, including state cost models and provider complaints
Summary
University of Vermont Legislative Research Service students told the House Corrections and Institutions Committee that state-funded, no-cost prison telecommunications has reduced recidivism in other states but carries initial cost spikes; presenters also flagged complaints and a lawsuit involving Vermont’s provider, IC Solutions.
BURLINGTON — On Feb. 6 the House Corrections and Institutions Committee heard testimony from University of Vermont Legislative Research Service (VLRS) student researchers on H.294, the bill under consideration that would address telecommunications, commissary and wages in the Department of Corrections.
Kevin McGreal, a VLRS presenter, summarized the team’s literature review and told the committee that studies link maintained family contact to better reintegration outcomes. He cited a Minnesota Department of Corrections review that the presenters said showed a 13% reduction in recidivism correlated with sustained contact, and pointed to a 2014 meta-analysis that highlighted phone contact as particularly influential. “These contacts correlated with a 13% reduction in recidivism,” McGreal said.
The student presenters reviewed other states that have moved to state-funded communications. Theodore Sternberg said California defined telecommunications to include…
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