Let’s dive into Finding 8 of our new report: Reentry Planning & Success. Listen to the stories of those who have experienced free prison and jail communication and learn more at ConnectFamiliesNow.com/PowerOfFree.
Worth Rises
@worthrises.bsky.social
Dismantling the prison industry and ending the exploitation of those it targets.
When people can stay connected to those who love them — and imagine a life after incarceration — they’re more likely to invest in their own growth. This is Finding 7 of our new report: Rehabilitation. Visit connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.
Phones are one of the most volatile places in the prison. With free communication, there's less tension, meaning fewer conflicts and disciplinary infractions. This is Finding 6 of our new report: Calmer & Safer Facilities. Visit connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.
76% of incarcerated people, 77% of family members, and all correctional staff reported improvements in stress, emotional stability, or overall wellbeing once calls became free. This is Finding 5 of our new report: Improved Health. Visit connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.
Nearly half of people in prisons are parents to children, and 18% of those children are four years old or younger. See how free calls help children. This is Finding 4 of our new report: Parenting & Child Development. Visit connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.
When the cost barrier to communication is removed, families are stronger. 82% of families & 93% of incarcerated people agree free calls help rebuild relationships. This is Finding 3: Stronger Families of our new report. Visit connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.
Families have already saved more than $622 million thanks to free communication policies in prisons and jails. That's money for groceries, rent, and futures they couldn't plan before. This is Finding 2: Financial Relief of our new report. Visit connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.
“That’s one thing about these phone calls that you don’t get in a letter—you can hear the smile.” New research from @worthrises.bsky.social shows that when prison and jail communication is free, everyone benefits. poweroffree.connectfamiliesnow.com
Power of Free
How free communication in prisons and jails is transforming lives, strengthening families, and reshaping reentry.
poweroffree.connectfamiliesnow.com
Thanks to free calling policies, incarcerated people made nearly 600 million more calls, totaling 6.4 billion mins, than they otherwise would. Call usage jumped 80% in prisons and doubled in jails. This is Finding 1: Increased Connection of our new report. Visit connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.
"Families who have done nothing wrong are caught up in this surveillance — their voices are recorded, databased and stored for years, if not forever." @biancatylek.bsky.social @worthrises.bsky.social #Securus #Rikers
"...Brooklyn Defenders warned of 'a community surveillance apparatus that reaches far beyond jail walls, sweeping up the families, friends, and communities of incarcerated New Yorkers without their knowledge.'" @bklyndefender.bsky.social #Securus #Rikers www.thecity.nyc/2026/05/12/r...
City Jails Renew Contract With Phone Provider Amid Concerns of AI Snooping on Detainee Calls
Advocates warn the Securus system could funnel intimate detainee call details into the company’s AI tools.
thecity.nyc
Communication shouldn't be a commodity. When our loved ones can make and receive phone calls without worrying about the cost, they experience more connection, real financial relief, stronger families, improved mental and physical health, safer facilities, and better odds of coming—and staying—home.
Worth Rises@worthrises.bsky.social · 3mo agoNEW @worthrises.bsky.social REPORT! Critical Connections: The Power of Free Communication in Prisons and Jails We analyzed data from correctional systems that made calls free, covering 330,000 incarcerated people. The results are remarkable. Read the report at connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.
Over 330K incarcerated people now have access to fully free phone calls! Check out the landmark report published by @worthrises.bsky.social about the impact that free communication policies have had across the country. It’s truly amazing. ⬇️
New Jersey needs to prioritize connection over corporate profits. "We are lining the pockets by the millions of private prison communications companies that are profiting off of our incarcerated people and their families every day,” said @marleinau.bsky.social. newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/11/n...
In NJ prisons, digital access comes at a price for inmates and their families • New Jersey Monitor
NJ prison officials say their switch to a new telecommunications vendor will save incarcerated people money. But those in custody have doubts.
newjerseymonitor.com
In Trenton right now with @worthrises.bsky.social to push for policy that puts families above corporate profits.
New Jersey Policy Perspective@njpolicy.bsky.social · 3mo agoNew Jersey needs to prioritize connection over corporate profits. "We are lining the pockets by the millions of private prison communications companies that are profiting off of our incarcerated people and their families every day,” said @marleinau.bsky.social. newjerseymonitor.com/2026/05/11/n...
“I’m free, but I’m in prison.” More than half a million mothers are raising children with an incarcerated co-parent, shouldering the costs associated with incarceration, additional domestic labor, and childcare on their own. Read their stories:
I’m Free, but I’m in Prison
The Economic Impacts on Mothers of Having an Incarcerated Co-parent
vera.org
Communication is a lifeline, not a luxury. Millions of people behind bars and their families know this, but a new report by our partners at @worthrises.bsky.social makes the case shockingly clear. Families should not be charged to keep in touch with their loved ones. ⬇️
We are proud to share a new report showing the impact of the free communication policies we’ve fought for with our partners at @worthrises.bsky.social. When we remove the price tag from human connection, we all win. Read the report at poweroffree.connectfamiliesnow.com
This is the culmination of 8 years of work, and I couldn’t feel more grateful for what we’ve been able to do at Worth Rise. I remember our first Connecting Families campaign in NYC, and our belief that this was right. Today, the data couldn’t be clearer: free communication changes everything.
Worth Rises@worthrises.bsky.social · 3mo agoNEW @worthrises.bsky.social REPORT! Critical Connections: The Power of Free Communication in Prisons and Jails We analyzed data from correctional systems that made calls free, covering 330,000 incarcerated people. The results are remarkable. Read the report at connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.
In prison, the cost of a phone call made me think twice before making one. Incarceration was a financial crisis — every moment of connection had a price. Where I work now, we fight to make calls free for impacted families like mine. Our new report shows what a difference that makes, for everyone.
Worth Rises@worthrises.bsky.social · 3mo agoNEW @worthrises.bsky.social REPORT! Critical Connections: The Power of Free Communication in Prisons and Jails We analyzed data from correctional systems that made calls free, covering 330,000 incarcerated people. The results are remarkable. Read the report at connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.
There are SO MANY reasons #NorthCarolina needs free prison communication. Improved connection, mental health, rehab, operational stability & safety (for all). poweroffree.connectfamiliesnow.com/assets/resou... #ncpol @ncgovernor.bsky.social @jeffjacksonnc.bsky.social @southey4senate.bsky.social
poweroffree.connectfamiliesnow.com
Worth Rises@worthrises.bsky.social · 3mo agoNEW @worthrises.bsky.social REPORT! Critical Connections: The Power of Free Communication in Prisons and Jails We analyzed data from correctional systems that made calls free, covering 330,000 incarcerated people. The results are remarkable. Read the report at connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.
NEW @worthrises.bsky.social REPORT! Critical Connections: The Power of Free Communication in Prisons and Jails We analyzed data from correctional systems that made calls free, covering 330,000 incarcerated people. The results are remarkable. Read the report at connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.
Okland Construction, Cator Ruma & Associates, and Elevatus Architecture are under contract to build Idaho's firing squad execution chamber. They can say no. With @deathpenaltyaction.bsky.social, we're holding them accountable until they do. www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/c...
‘Sick and wrong’: Boise firm designing Idaho firing squad chamber draws protest
“Would you be building the cross that they hung Jesus on?” one advocate asked at Tuesday’s gathering.
idahostatesman.com
The nation’s largest retirement plan provider Vanguard is also a major investor in the private prisons that profit from immigrant detention. Join us April 9 at 3pm ET to learn how your organization can take action to #DropVanguard. Register here: bit.ly/drop-vanguar...
TONIGHT! Join us in NYC for a screening of the Oscar-nominated film The Alabama Solution, a remarkable exposition of the violence and exploitation of our prison system using the only method possible: contraband phones. A Code for Connection event. bit.ly/nyc-alabama-solution
Prison telecom is a multibillion-dollar industry built on exploiting the isolation of incarcerated people. On March 7+8, join us at Code for Connection in NYC — a hackathon to build a free, open-source communications platform. bit.ly/code-for-connection
Hackathon Registration: Code for Connection — Open Lines, Open Source
Saturday, March 7 – Sunday, March 8, 2026 | New York City Today, prison telecommunications corporations charge families exorbitant fees to stay connected, driving one in three into debt. Code for Conn...
bit.ly
GOOD NEWS! Private prison GEO Group tried to avoid trial for unjustly withholding wages from immigrant detainees by appealing to SCOTUS, claiming it should be afforded government immunity as a contractor. The Court just UNANIMOUSLY ruled against GEO Group. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
Supreme Court deals setback to ICE detention contractor in fight over detainee work
The justices denied GEO Group’s bid to toss out a lawsuit claiming prisoners in Colorado were illegally forced to work.
politico.com
New Tool! Find out if your representatives have taken campaign donations from the corporations fueling ICE’s mass deportation efforts @theappeal.org @inthesetimes.com inthesetimes.com/article/ice-...
ICE-Cold Cash: Private Prison Companies and Executives Have Donated Millions to Members of Congress
Find out if your representatives have taken cash from the companies fueling ICE’s mass deportation efforts.
inthesetimes.com
Join @biancatylek.bsky.social tonight in Durham, NC, for a book talk on The Prison Industry at @scsjofficial.bsky.social with Dr. Craig Waleed as we discuss how we got to this moment and what we can do to change it. eventbrite.com/e/the-prison...
The Prison Industry: How It Works and Who Profits
Come join us for a lively discussion on the ins and outs of the prison industry - who's making money and how it all works!
eventbrite.com
New reporting from The Prospect shows how both Democratic and Republican jurisdictions keep CoreCivic and GEO afloat through state and local contracts. These deals built the infrastructure now powering Trump’s detention crackdown and ongoing abuses. tinyurl.com/3tpkf99m
State and Local Contracts Prop Up For-Profit Prisons - The American Prospect
CoreCivic and GEO Group profit from Trump’s immigration policies while also receiving lucrative contracts from state and local governments, including areas controlled by Democrats.
tinyurl.com