By Rollie Atkinson, SoCo News Staff, June 21, 2021.
Civil panel says jail should not be a profit center
Inmates in Sonoma County’s jails must rely on a contracted telephone service to communicate with family and friends where the charges can equal more than 20 cents per minute, exceeding prevailing market rates by tenfold. The arrangement is part of the county’s Inmate Welfare Trust (IWT) and jail commissary where inmates also can purchase snacks, books and magazines and video game privileges. This captive audience is also charged for some of their drug counseling and must pay for some of the salaries of the jail staff that administer the phone system and jail store.
The Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury found the Sheriff’s Office garnered $1 million in profits over a recent year from the sale of commissary items and phone service commissions. The panel called the arrangement “highly expensive” and called on the sheriff’s office and county board of supervisors to provide low-cost or free phone, audio and video services similar to what other jurisdictions such as the State of California, San Francisco and San Diego counties offer.
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