Prison Phone Rates Going Up; Critics Predict ‘Huge Implications’ On Health
The FCC voted Tuesday to dramatically raise the price limits that jails and prisons can charge. The calls, which are usually paid for by family members and friends outside of prison, have been shown to provide many mental and public health benefits, such as promoting relationships with children and reducing recidivism.
CNET:
FCC Votes To Nearly Double Rates For Prison Phone Calls
The Federal Communications Commission voted Tuesday to dramatically increase the price limit that jails and prisons are allowed to charge for phone and video calls. ... The downstream effects of the change are alarming. The benefits of incarcerated people making phone calls are well documented: they reduce the likelihood a person will commit a crime when they’re released, promote relationships with children and improve jail safety. “That means children who won't be able to hear ‘I love you’ from their parents. That means spouses who won't be able to communicate about parenting. That means people won't be able to prepare for their release,” Bianca Tylek, the executive director of Worth Rises, told CNET. “It has huge implications for individuals, families, communities and public safety.” (Supan, 10/28)
The Marshall Project:
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Bill To Track Pregnancies Behind Bars
A bipartisan group of lawmakers have introduced legislation requiring all Ohio jails and prisons to report the outcomes of every pregnancy that ends behind bars. The proposal comes following a Marshall Project - Cleveland and News 5 investigation that detailed how a Cleveland woman’s pregnancy ended after her repeated cries for help went unanswered for hours in the troubled Cuyahoga County jail in 2024. (Puente, 10/27)
The Marshall Project:
These Families Wanted To Lay Their Loved Ones To Rest. They Had To Bring Them Home From Prison First.
Each year, thousands of people die in U.S. prisons and jails. Over the last six months, The Marshall Project has heard from dozens of families across the country about their experiences bringing loved ones home after dying behind bars. In case after case, they told The Marshall Project they felt as if their loved ones remained under lock and key, even in death. (Abdullahi, 10/29)
More health news from across the U.S. —
San Francisco Chronicle:
UCSF Receives $100 Million Gift To Boost Dementia Care
UCSF has received a $100 million donation for its memory and aging center, a gift that doctors at the dementia care clinic say comes at a critical moment in the development of new therapies for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative conditions. The gift from the Edward Fein Charitable Trust, announced Wednesday by UCSF, comes without restrictions other than that it must be spent in the newly named Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center, located on UCSF’s Mission Bay campus. (Allday, 10/29)
AP:
West Virginia Landmark Opioid Lawsuit Returns To Lower Court After US Appeals Court Ruling
A federal appeals court on Tuesday overturned a landmark decision in West Virginia that had rejected attempts by an opioid-ravaged area to be compensated by U.S. drug distributors for a influx of prescription pain pills into the region. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, ruled that a lower court judge erred when he said West Virginia’s public nuisance law did not apply to the lawsuit involving the distribution of opioids. (Raby, 10/28)
North Carolina Health News:
Some Paramedics Are Changing The Front Line Of Addiction Care
A life lost in Buncombe County in 2022 still weighs on — and motivates — Shuchin Shukla, a family physician who specializes in addiction medicine. A community paramedic had responded to an overdose involving a person recently released from jail. After reviving them, the paramedic told the patient about a soon-to-launch program that would start people on a medication used to treat opioid addiction after an overdose. (Crumpler, 10/29)
ProPublica and The Frontier:
Oklahoma Oil Regulators Failed To Stop Spread Of Toxic Wastewater
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drinking water. (Bowlin, 10/29)
