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Exorbitant Prisoner Phone Rates Pass New York Constitutional Scrutiny
by David M. Reutter
On November 23, 2009, the New York Court of Appeals – the state’s highest court – affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit arguing that the contract between the New York State Department of Correctional Services (NYDOCS) and MCI Worldcom Communications for prison telephone services violated the …
On November 23, 2009, the New York Court of Appeals – the state’s highest court – affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit arguing that the contract between the New York State Department of Correctional Services (NYDOCS) and MCI Worldcom Communications for prison telephone services violated the …
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More from this issue:
- Everything Revolves Around Overcrowding: The State of California’s Prisons, by Donald Specter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Wheelchair-bound Texas Escapee Produces Pistol, Commandeers Transport Van, by Matthew Clarke
- U.S. Supreme Court: Counsel Must Advise Immigrant Defendants of Deportation Risks
- Controversy Over Texas Attorneys Charging Questionable Fees in Wrongful Conviction Cases, by Matthew Clarke
- $4.3 Million Award in Preventable Death of Cook County Pretrial Detainee, by David Reutter
- Incomplete DNA Databases Result in Tragic Consequences, by Justin Miller
- Texas Youth Commission Pays $625,000 to Settle Abuse Suit, by Gary Hunter
- Exorbitant Prisoner Phone Rates Pass New York Constitutional Scrutiny, by David Reutter
- Obama’s 2011 Budget Calls for More Prisons, More Guards, by Brandon Sample
- Aryan Warriors Prison Gang Prosecuted in Nevada, by Gary Hunter
- $500,000 Settlement in Maryland Prisoner’s Death from Pepper Spraying, by David Reutter
- Prisoner’s Homicide at Maryland Jail Not Prosecuted, by Gary Hunter
- DOJ Investigation into New York Jail Finds Unconstitutional Conditions, by Justin Miller
- California Official Resigns from State Post, Hired by Federal Receiver
- U.S. State Prison Population Declines for First Time in a Decade, by Justin Miller
- Washington DOC Pays $3,275,000 to Family of Deputy Killed by Former Prisoner
- New Jersey’s Riverfront Prison Demolished, by Justin Miller
- “Back to School” is a Guide to Success Following Release from Prison, by Gary Hunter
- ICE Policies and U.S. Deportation Laws Violate Human Rights, by Gary Hunter
- U.S. Department of Justice Releases 2008 Capital Punishment Statistics, by Matthew Clarke
- Problems Persist at Privately-Operated Rhode Island Jail, by Justin Miller
- North Carolina Innocence Commission Verifies Wrongful Conviction, by Matthew Clarke
- Maricopa County Throws Sheriff Arpaio Under Improperly Purchased Bus
- Wisconsin: Taycheedah Lawsuit Set for Trial, by Michael Brodheim
- California Prison Health Care System Plagued by Understaffing, Overtime, by Michael Brodheim
- $140,000 Settlement in Washington Jail Detainee’s Suicide
- California: Audit Finds CDCR Overpaid Employees Who Supervise Prisoner-Workers, by Michael Brodheim
- Prosecutorial Misconduct Case Pending Before Supreme Court Settles for $12 Million, by Brandon Sample
- New Picture on Violence in Federal Prisons, by Brandon Sample
- Maricopa County Detention Officer Held in Contempt for Taking Document from Defense Counsel’s File, by Matthew Clarke
- Released Prisoners More Likely to Die, by Brandon Sample
- Maryland Prison Guards Busted for Helping Gang Members, by Gary Hunter
- Louisiana Judge, Attorneys Plead Guilty to Bribery Charges, by Michael Brodheim
- New York City Jail Settles Excessive Force Suit for $62,001
- Physician Assisted in Botched Execution Attempt in Ohio, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit: Catholic Prisoner’s Religious Diet Lawsuit Remanded, by David Reutter
- Whole Foods Farms out Fish Farming to Colorado Prisoners, by Justin Miller
- SORNA Challenges Produce Mixed Results; Supreme Court Weighs In, by Brandon Sample
- Washington Supreme Court Holds No Judicial Immunity for Non-Judicial Conduct
- Ninth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Refusing to Feed Prisoner, by Mark Wilson
- $145,000 Settlement by New York City After Holding Immigration Detainee Beyond 48 Hours, by David Reutter
- Washington DOC Settles MRSA Death Claim for $125,000, by Brandon Sample
- $3.5 Million Settlement to Former New York Prisoner Convicted Due to Perjured Testimony
- Kentucky Law Retroactively Applied to Award Street Credit
- Washington DOC Agrees to Pay $38,000 in Too-Much-Medicine Suit
- California Prisoner Wins Option of Kosher Meals Until Halal Meals Can be Provided
- News in Brief:
More from David Reutter:
- Tenth Circuit: Colorado Governor Unentitled to Eleventh Amendment Immunity on Claim Related to DOC Religious Policies, Aug. 1, 2026
- Michigan Appeals Court: Witnesses Cannot be Forced to Wear Jail Clothes at Trial, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of State-Law Qualified Immunity in Scabies Case, Aug. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Revives Disabled Prisoner’s Claim for Denial of Out-of-Cell Exercise Time, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
- Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Prisoner Privileges, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Telephones.
- Digital Tablet Shift Brings Added Cost, Lost Data to Prisoners in California, April 1, 2026. Computers, Prisoner Property, Telephone Rates, Securus, Global Tel*Link Corp.
- FCC Releases Final Version of Order Gutting 2024 Phone Cap Regulations, Feb. 1, 2026. Misconduct/Corruption, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates.
- The Succession Battle for a Prison Empire, Dec. 1, 2025. Telephone Rates, Private Phone Contractors.
- An AI Model from Securus Aims to Expand Phone Call Monitoring, Dec. 1, 2025. Databases, Telephone Rates, Telephone Monitoring, Electronic Surveillance, Securus.
- Colorado Children Sue County Jail to Fight Visitation Ban, Dec. 1, 2025. Telephone Rates, Video Visitation, Children of Prisoners, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Private Phone Contractors.
- FCC Issues Proposed Rule Permitting Cellphone Jammers in Prisons and Jails, Nov. 1, 2025. Statistics/Trends, Telephone Rates, Cell Phone Access, Federal Legislation, Police State-Surveillance.
- FCC Votes For Dramatic Hike to Prison Phone Call Rates, Nov. 1, 2025. Telephone Rates, Telephone Monitoring, Cell Phone Access, Video Visitation, Securus, Global Tel*Link Corp.
- FCC Backtracks on 2024 Order to Cut Prison Phone and Video Rates by Half, Aug. 1, 2025. Telephone Rates, Video Visitation, Private Phone Contractors, Securus.
- HRDC Collaborates on Prison Telecom Cost Report to Washington Lawmakers, Aug. 1, 2025. Electronic Tablets, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates.

