Articles by Stephen Raher
- A million here, a million there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money: Class-action settlement reveals Global Tel*Link’s addiction to seizing customer money
Evidence from court case shows why the FCC should act to stop abusive practices in the industry.
Sep 7, 2022 - Military base closures: A model for getting past the parochial politics of closing prisons
The BRAC process, which is used to close military bases, has successfully avoided political minefields. Could a similar process be created to close prisons?
Aug 22, 2022 - Please Mr. Postman: It’s time to create a special postal mail rate for incarcerated people
Congress has created reduced postage rates for special groups in the past...it's time for it to create one for incarcerated people and their families.
Aug 17, 2022 - Insufficient funds: How prison and jail “release cards” perpetuate the cycle of poverty
We examined release card companies’ fee structures to learn how this industry has evolved, and what government leaders can do to stop its worst practices.
May 3, 2022 - Calling on the FCC to regulate video-calling technology in prisons and jails
The FCC has regulated video calling since the 1960s, and there is no reason why it should not use its authority to crack down on high prices and unfair practices in the correctional video-calling market.
Dec 20, 2021 - Show me the money: Tracking the companies that have a lock on sending funds to incarcerated people
We looked at all fifty state departments of corrections to figure out which companies hold the contracts to provide money-transfer services and what the fees are to use these services.
Nov 9, 2021 - Calling on the FCC to address the high cost of jail phone calls
This week, the Prison Policy Initiative filed comments urging the FCC to take steps to lower jail phone costs and stop unfair practices by the correctional phone industry.
Sep 29, 2021 - Proposed slowdown of the mail would disproportionally hit incarcerated mailers
Proposal would make an already bad situation worse by removing nearly all First-Class mail from airplanes and putting it on trucks, no matter how far it has to travel.
Jun 16, 2021 - Warning: A painful road ahead for postal customers
Thanks to new regulations, the imminent spike in postage prices will fall heavily, and unfairly, on people in prison and jail.
Feb 20, 2021 - Prison Policy Initiative and allies oppose new banking rule
Trump administration proposes to prohibit banks from considering morality when making loans to the prison industry. We say no.
Dec 31, 2020 - Stimulus, round 2: Incarcerated people will be eligible for new round of payments
At the end of an otherwise disappointing session of Congress, the inclusion of incarcerated people in the stimulus program is a small ray of hope.
Dec 30, 2020 - A Tale of Two Technologies: Why “digital” doesn’t always mean “better” for prison law libraries
Electronic law libraries are not always improvements for incarcerated people, particularly when prisons turn to them as a way of cutting costs.
Oct 28, 2020 - Update: Court says IRS can’t deny economic stimulus payments to incarcerated people
As we noted back in May, when most Americans were getting one-time $1200 stimulus payments from the IRS, the government was quietly trying to deny making payments to....
Oct 5, 2020 - Since you asked: Should incarcerated people be receiving stimulus payments?
Some correctional authorities - responding to bad guidance from the IRS - are intercepting and returning stimulus checks for incarcerated people. We explain why people in prison and jail are eligible for, and should be receiving, emergency aid.
May 18, 2020 - Texas prisons, we’ve got some questions about your commissary vendors
In a follow-up to our commissary report, we look at Texas commissary vendors and discover some surprising findings alongside the usual suspects.
Jul 26, 2018 - Money and Power: Corruption in Local Sheriff Departments
The New York Times looks at how corruption is tolerated and even encouraged in some county sheriff offices.
Dec 20, 2017 - Consumer Financial Protection Bureau housekeeping risks release card protections
We urge the CFPB to keep release cards in mind when revising regulations so they don't unintentionally undermine their own reforms.
Aug 15, 2017 - The Wireless Prison: How Colorado’s tablet computer program misses opportunities and monetizes the poor
Colorado's tablet program foreshadows a potential new paradigm in corrections, shifting numerous communications, educational, and recreational functions to a for-profit contractor; and making incarcerated people and their families pay for services that are commonly funded by the state.
Jul 6, 2017 - Phone Tag to Computer Hack: Securus puts privacy at risk
Are providers of prison communication services allowing unrestricted access to the personal computers and conversations of incarcerated people and their loved ones?
Apr 24, 2017 - Automated Justice: A Review of Weapons of Math Destruction
Stephen Raher reviews Cathy O’Neil's book, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy.
Apr 18, 2017 - The multi-million dollar market of sending money to an incarcerated loved one
Private companies amassing monopoly contracts, creating potential to rake in $172 million from friends and family sending money to incarcerated loved ones.
Jan 18, 2017 - Paging anti-trust lawyers: Prison commissary giants prepare to merge
Two of the biggest players in the prison and jail commissary market are planning to merge: The corporate parent of Trinity Services Group will be acquiring Keefe Group.
Jul 5, 2016 - Bureau of Prisons seeks to erode financial privacy of friends and family
Providing financial services to people in prison has become big business. Prisons, phone companies, and other contractors are reaping huge profits at the expense of....
Aug 20, 2015 - Will the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau protect the public from high-fee “release cards”?
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau seeks comments on whether formerly incarcerated people should be forced to pay high fees on "release cards".
Feb 6, 2015
Recommended Reading:
Advocacy Toolkit
Resources, tips, and best practices to help advocates working to end mass incarceration.
50 state incarceration profiles
All of our recent reports about prison/jail growth, racial disparities, and more, re-organized by state.
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie
The U.S. incarcerates over 1.9 million people, more than any other country. Where are they locked up and why? Read our report.
