Prison inmates to be charged 24c a minute for phone calls as NSW scraps cheaper providers

Decision could make inmates’ contact with family and friends unaffordable, despite studies showing it reduces recidivism

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For two years Lisa Maloney has paid about $40 every four months so her son can call her every day from a prison in New South Whales. Now she will be paying about $300 after the state’s correctional services banned affordable phone call options run by third-party services.

“I’ll keep paying but I’m worried about others who won’t be able to afford to contact their loved ones as much,” said Maloney, who lives on a pension in north-west Victoria and can’t afford to visit her son in Lithgow.

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