Ironically, starting in February the National Black History Month, IDOC began issuing a stern warning against 3-way phone calls. At the beginning of a call a warning states that any attempted 3rd party connection will result in a disciplinary action against the prisoner, and a “Global” restriction for the person the prisoner calls.
It is extremely alarming to find that SECURUS, the phone provider selected by IDOC, has the authority, reach and power to issue and carry out such a threat. It is totally unfair to take advantage of families trying to stay connected with their loved ones. IDOC has always had a rule prohibiting 3-way phone calls but that rule was rarely enforced. Since the explosion of cell phone use over the last 10 years or so, prisoners have been able to connect with their families in a variety of ways. For example, an incarcerated father could talk with two of his children for the cost of one phone call or a son could talk to a parent in one place while also connected to a sibling elsewhere. Therefore, not enforcing the rule can allow multiple family connections and friendships to remain intact over long periods of incarceration without the costly financial burden that could damage their ability to stay connected.
So, what motivated this push to enforce this this old absurd rule? Surely not the threat of “Global Terrorism” as implied by the warning. This could be an attempt to halt the spirit of activism taking place in the urban centers of America and prevent it from reaching inside Illinois prisons. Most likely, however, the chief motivation is a directive from the board of SECURUS telling its IDOC partners to crack down on it’s captives because their profits are down and 3-way calls have been identified as the culprit. Therefore, IDOC administrators, like any loyal political, does what its corporate bosses tells them to do, even if it means going against what is in the best interest of its stated mission of rehabilitating and preparing prisoners for reintegration into society.
Prisoner X Nation
Take action…PUSH BACK!!!!!!!
-Ask how much SECURUS makes on our phone calls.
-Ask what is in the best interest of the mission of IDOC.
-Call or write and complain to the IDOC Director in Springfield and the board president of SECURUS. Contact our state governor and RAISE HELL about them interrupting your conversations, that you pay for, two or three times with this warning that discourages us from making and maintaining connections with our loved ones.
-Hold someone ACCOUNTABLE.
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