Phone calls for inmates in New York state prisons will soon be free of charge, officials announced Tuesday — a policy shift advocates say will save more than $13 million annually for families of incarcerated people and strengthen ties that are crucial to rehabilitation and public safety.

The policy, which will kick in Aug. 1, will make New York the sixth state to make prisoners' phone calls free. But unlike the other jurisdictions, New York is the first state to do so administratively, without requiring legislation.

Currently, New York inmates have access to three free phone calls per week of up to 15 minutes. Additional calls cost 2.4 cents per minute.

In a statement, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, or DOCCS, said the policy change aims to improve inmates' success in reintegrating with society upon release by promoting stronger connections between them and their support network outside prison.

"We recognize the critical role that strong family bonds play in an individual's rehabilitation and long-term success after incarceration," DOCCS Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III said in the statement, calling the new policy a "smart and effective step forward."

"Understanding the value of family ties while in prison is crucial — not only for emotional support, but for improving an individual's outcomes while incarcerated and when returning to society, thus reducing recidivism," Martuscello said. "When incarcerated people maintain meaningful relationships, they are better positioned for success."

Prisoners' rights advocates say visitation in New York prisons remains significantly limited following the corrections officers' strike earlier this year, which required the Gov. Kathy Hochul to deploy the National Guard. Free phone calls will provide inmates some relief, they say.

In a statement hailing the new policy as a "win-win", Worth Rises, a national nonprofit, said access to communication is "more critical than ever" to support prisoners' well-being and pathways to rehabilitation, while reducing tensions inside prison facilities.

DOCCS said corrections officers have welcomed similar policies in other states. Worth Rises pointed to studies that found that inmates who were receiving phone calls were about 20% less likely to verbally or physically abuse a correctional officer.

"For decades, families across New York have had to choose between their essential needs and staying connected to their loved one behind bars. It has been a remarkable burden, carried largely by women in the community, that has only worsened since the strike that halted services across our state prisons," Bianca Tylek, the executive director of Worth Rises, said in the statement. "With a move that supports rehabilitation for incarcerated people, strengthens the unity and financial position of families, mitigates trauma for children facing parental incarceration, makes correctional environments safer for staff, and improves reentry outcomes and public safety, we all win."

Connecticut in 2021 became the first state to make inmates' calls free, followed by California, Colorado, Massachusetts and Minnesota. People held in New York City jails have had access to free phone calls since 2019.

The policy change in New York state prisons, the result of nearly five years of legislative advocacy and negotiation, will affect roughly 30,000 families across the state, Worth Rises said.

A new contract negotiated with prison telecom vendor Securus Technologies cuts the rate for phone calls by more than half. DOCCS will now pay 1.5 cents per minute — 4.5 cents lower than the Federal Communications Commission's most recent rate cap, and lower than California's recently adopted 1.6 cents per minute rate.

"No one should be profiting off a child's phone call to their parent, or a family's effort to stay connected through hard times. By making prison phone calls free, New York is standing up for basic dignity and helping to strengthen the bonds that make successful reentry possible. This is a commonsense, compassionate policy — and long overdue," New York Assembly member Harvey Epstein said in the DOCCS statement, which also included comments from officials in Minnesota and Connecticut describing the beneficial effect of free phone calls in the correctional environment

In the same statement, Eddie Gibbs, a New York Assembly member who was born and raised in East Harlem, gave his personal perspective.

"As someone who has experienced our correctional system from the inside, I know the power of a phone call. No family should have to choose between putting food on the table and hearing their loved one's voice," Gibbs said. "Making phone calls free will help keep families connected, ease reentry, and restore dignity to those behind bars."

--Editing by Rich Mills.