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Cook County, Illinois Lowers Jail Phone Rates
On December 18, 2012, the Board of Commissioners for Cook County, Illinois voted to lower the outrageous cost of telephone calls made by prisoners at the Cook County Jail.
The county has a contract with Securus Technologies, which operates phone systems in 2,200 jails and prisons across 44 states. The …
The county has a contract with Securus Technologies, which operates phone systems in 2,200 jails and prisons across 44 states. The …
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More from this issue:
- Forms of Judicial Deference in Prison Law, by Sharon Dolovich
- Louisiana Public Service Commission Votes to Lower Prison and Jail Phone Rates, by Mel Motel
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- FBI Reports Drop in Violent Crime; DOJ Reports Increase
- Venezuelan TV Station Fined $2.16 Million for Prison Reporting, by Matthew Clarke
- Dramatic Increase in Percentage of Criminal Cases Being Plea Bargained, by Matthew Clarke
- Pennsylvania: Former BOP Warden Pleads Guilty to Cover-up
- Despite Budget Crunch, Texas Rarely Grants Medical Paroles, by Matthew Clarke
- Iraqi Prison Breaks Likely Inside Jobs
- Contraband Smuggling a Problem at Prisons and Jails Nationwide, by Matthew Clarke
- NH Corrections Officer, Suspended After Fight, Obtains Back Pay Plus $250,000 in Damages and Attorney Fees
- California Lawsuit Challenges Voting Prohibition on County-level Offenders
- Louisiana Sex Offender Internet Restrictions Unconstitutional
- Law Enforcement Forfeiture Corruption Scandal in Michigan Includes Police Chief
- Massachusetts Prisoners Receive Refunds for Illegal Fees Imposed by Sheriff
- Obama Pardons Two Turkeys, No Prisoners in 2012, by Derek Gilna
- Scientific Advances in Arson Investigations Reveal Wrongful Convictions, by Michael Rigby
- Georgia Judge Removed from Bench for Misconduct, Files Lawsuit Claiming Conspiracy
- Virginia Considers Privatizing State’s Civil Commitment Center, by Joe Watson
- New Mexico Slaps Private Prison Companies with $1.4 Million in Fines
- States Seek Federal Medicaid Reimbursements to Offset Prison Medical Costs
- Oregon-Washington Prison Employee Logs 19-Hour Days
- Nation’s Largest Private Prison Companies Trying to Do the REIT Thing
- Tenth Circuit Cites PLN Case in Denying Oklahoma Newspaper’s FOIA Request
- California and Oregon Prison Guards Fire Shots to Break up Fights
- North Carolina Governor Pardons Wilmington 10
- Cook County, Illinois Lowers Jail Phone Rates, by Mel Motel
- California: Del Norte County DA Described as “Idiotic”
- 9th Circuit: Class-action by Civilly Committed Sexually Violent Predators May Proceed on Claims for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief
- First Circuit: RLUIPA Does Not Provide Relief from Transfer to Remote Prison where Opportunities for Religious Exercise are Limited
- News in Brief
More from Mel Motel:
- Prisoners Respond to Call for Prison Phone Justice; SCI-Huntingdon Delivers!, July 15, 2013
- Louisiana Public Service Commission Postpones Prison Phone Reforms, April 15, 2013
- Reintroducing the Private Prison Information Act: An Interview, Feb. 15, 2013
- Louisiana Public Service Commission Votes to Lower Prison and Jail Phone Rates, Jan. 15, 2013
- Cook County, Illinois Lowers Jail Phone Rates, Jan. 15, 2013
- Organizations Submit Letters to FCC Urging Action on Prison Phone Rates, Dec. 15, 2012
- PLN Readers Flood the FCC with Letters; Campaign Fights for Prison Phone Justice, Nov. 15, 2012
- "Strong Families, Safe Communities" Sends Clear Message for Phone Justice, Oct. 15, 2012
- The Trials of Eroy Brown: The Murder Case that Shook the Texas Prison System, by Michael Berryhill (University of Texas Press, 2011). 244 pages, $29.95, April 15, 2012
- From the Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of Black Panther Robert Hillary King, Oakland, CA: PM Press (2009) $24.95 hardback, 217 pages, Sept. 15, 2009
More from these topics:
- Nevada Prisoners, Families Call Out Predatory Tablet Program, Sept. 1, 2026. Computers, Telephone Rates, Video Visitation, Securus, Global Tel*Link Corp.
- 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.

