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When Georgina Mercado was arrested in Chicano Park in 2016 and booked into the Las Colinas women’s jail in Santee, her first thoughts were about her children, who were 2, 4 and 6 years old at the time.
Mercado ended up spending three months in custody before the charges were dropped. Her grandmother, whose only source of income was a monthly Social Security check, took care of the children.
“I couldn’t call home because I’m not going to put that extra burden on my grandmother,” Mercado said. The initial connection fee alone was $5.
“Over three months, I think I only called home three times,” she said. “Having those phone calls is a necessity.”