Minn. Makes Inmate Calls Free

Prison calls will be free in Minnesota. Gov. Tim Walz (D) made his state the fourth to do so when he signed a budget bill (SF-2909) Friday. Connecticut, California and Colorado previously made calls free. The budget included $3.1 million annually to provide voice services for incarcerated people. “Eliminating these fees is the right thing to do,” said sponsor Sen. Clare Oumou Verbeten (D) in a Worth Rises news release. “Phone calls keep families connected.” Worth Rises expects more states to follow, said Executive Director Bianca Tylek.