Phone calls are the most common method of communication between individuals incarcerated in Maryland prisons and their loved ones.[1] Yet, the State charges inmates three cents per minute to call their family and friends.[2] While this may not seem like a lot of money, on average, inmates only earn between $.017 and $1.16 hourly.[3] In addition, inmates must pay for their own commissary needs like medications and hygiene products.[4]  The cost to make a call also disproportionally effects Maryland’s low-income families as many already lack financial resources.[5] Making phone calls can be costly, and eventually unaffordable, for many families attempting to stay in contact with their loved ones.[6]  Directly charging inmates for phone calls also generates little revenue for the State while placing financial strain on families.[7]

Senator Jeff Waldstriecher believes charging incarcerated individuals for phone calls is unfair.[8] To address his concerns, Senator Waldstriecher sponsored Senate Bill 56 (“SB 56”), shifting the burden of paying for phone calls to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.[9] SB 56 also seeks to establish a Costs of Telephone Communication Advisory Committee, which would be responsible for assessing prison telephone programs in other states, analyzing the departments use of the phone services, and providing recommendation on ways to mitigate the cost of providing inmates with free phone calls in Maryland.[10] SB 56 would require the Committee to submit its findings to the Governor and General Assembly by December 31, 2025.[11] To account for these recommendations, the program would not begin until July 2026.[12]

Supporters of the bill assert that shifting the responsibility to the State provides a guarantee that the costs of the phone calls will be covered rather than forced upon families who already lack the resources to miraculously find the funds.[13] Many other states, such as California, have passed similar legislation.[14] However, critics of the SB 56, like Senator William G. Folden, urge that shifting the cost of phone calls to the State will negatively impact Maryland, which already faces a $3 billion deficit.[15]

SB 56 could eliminate an obstacle for inmates and their families by allowing them to keep in consistent contact with one another, thereby relieving some stress from concerned loved ones. Additionally, the proposed bill can also provide a reliable way for inmates to reach their attorneys. However, SB 56 may severely impact Maryland’s growing deficit because expensive calls could drain state resources used better elsewhere, eventually leading to higher tax rates. Regardless of SB 56’s benefits to those incarcerated, the possibilities of negative financial consequences to the community may hinder the bill’s progression in the legislative process.

Khadijah Josephs a third-year evening student at the University of Baltimore School of Law and a Staff Editor for Law Forum. Khadijah earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in Criminology & Criminal Justice, with a minor in Philosophy. She also received a master’s degree in public administration. At the University of Baltimore, Khadijah is the Vice- President of Education and Training for the Board of Advocates, a competitor for the National Tax Moot Court Competition, a member of the Honor Board and a Law School Ambassador.  Previously, Khadijah interned at the Baltimore County Circuit Court with the Family Law Magistrates. She expects to graduate May 2026.

[1] Md. Dep’t of Pub. Safety & Corr. Servs., Visitation, Communication, & Services Reference Guide for Visitors, Families, Friends, & Loved Ones of the Incarcerate 10 (2021), https://dpscs.maryland.gov/inmateservs/pdfs/19528614_1.pdf.

[2] William J. Ford, Advocates Try Again on Bill to Halt the Practice of Charging Inmates for Phone Calls, Md. Matters (Jan. 10, 2025, 1:00 AM), https://marylandmatters.org/2025/01/10/advocates-try-again-on-bill-to-halt-the-practice-of-charging-inmates-for-phone-calls/.

[3] Md. Ctr. on Econ. Pol’y, Costly Prison Phone Call Fees Block Families from Connecting to Incarcerated Loved Ones (2024) (statement of Maryland Center on Economic Policy), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/cmte_testimony/2024/hgo/1mNPnXT5bLLYtDXp5wUStNhfjJA1MgJJR.pdf.

[4] Id. at 1.

[5] Id.

[6] Id.

[7] Id.

[8] See Ford, supra note 2; see also Judicial Proceedings Committee – Bill Hearing: Hearing on S.B. 56, 447th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Md. 2025) (statement of Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher) (“[I]t’s never made any sense to me that we charge [inmates] for the phone calls that they make . . . Connections with the outside world help rehabilitate those in our state prisons.”).

[9] Ford, supra note 2; see also S.B. 56, 447th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Md. 2025).

[10] See S.B. 56, 447th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Md. 2025).

[11] Id.

[12] Id.

[13] See Ford, supra note 2.

[14] Id.

[15] Id.