Submitted by Mark E. Guzzi, Jan 9, 2007 11:09

As an attorney that has worked for two state prison systems this is no surprise. The rates for inmate phone calls have been under attack for some time. The handwriting was on the wall. Its now time for the politicians to stop relying on telephone commissions to help fund a portion of the politically popular "get tough on crime" policies that have gripped this country for the past two decades. The costs of this approach to crime and punishment are at or near the breaking point. Its time to get creative on how to deal with crime in America. The simplisitic "lock em up and throw away the key" approach fails to recognize and deal with the underlying causes of most crime; poor parenting, poor education, and systemic poverty.

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