SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – County supervisors today unanimously voted to end the practice of charging jail inmates for phone calls and video visits.
During its virtual meeting, the board also directed Chief Administrative Officer Helen-Robbins Meyer to restructure or terminate the existing contract with Securus Technologies.
County staff will develop a policy by May 4 that prohibits the county from generating revenue from these fees or from entering into agreements that charge inmates for communication services.
Under the current contract, Securus charges between 21 and 33 cents per minute for inmate calls. The company also charges $19.95 for a 20-minute video visitation and $2 per voice message.
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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.”
Full Transcript: San Diego State of the County Address 2021
Nathan Fletcher, Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, delivered his first State of San Diego County Address on Feb 18, 2021
Credit: KFMB Published: 8:01 PM PST February 18, 2021 Updated: 9:49 PM PST February 18, 2021
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, California
Thursday, February 18, 2021
OPENING
I come to you tonight from the County’s Emergency Medical Operations Center.
370 days ago, our county was one of the first in the nation to declare a public health state of emergency on COVID-19 activating this site and others to respond.
From this modest warehouse our region’s massive mobilization was equipped.