WOULD RWANDA’S PROPOSED PUBLIC PHONE ACQUISITION FOR PRISONS SERVE THE INMATES?
In a bid to end the smuggling of mobile phones in penitentiary facilities, Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS) plans to introduce public telephones. The public telephones which will be installed in 13 prisons around the country is said to enable inmates communicate with their families and reduce the need to smuggle mobile phones.
For the installation of these devices, Chief Inspector of Prisons, Hillary Sengabo stated that prison authorities are in the process of hiring a telecommunication firm to install user friendly public telephones.
Speaking on the importance of public phones in the prison, Sengabo told The New Times that “Depending on a given reason by an inmate, sometimes we allow them to use cell phones to communicate with the outside world. But, the practice is not secure enough and not trustworthy.”
This practice has led to the increase of smuggled phones by relatives of inmates as most times the authorities in these correctional facilities may not see the reason or approve of the request to speak to family members. Reason being “A prisoner must not feel free to use a telephone as they wish. There are rules to follow. When public telephones are installed, prisoners will get access to them but must be supervised to prevent them talking about anything that can offended the public security or discussing politics.” The chief inspector stated.
Who Benefits from Public phones in correctional facilities?
Rwanda has noted that introducing these public phones would benefit inmates break emotional and physical barriers when necessary. However, those benefiting are the telecommunications and Prison services.
These telecommunications services install public phones and neither them nor the facilities take the brunt of incurred cost by the inmates. In most cases, Prisons require prisoners always call collect, meaning that the receiving party accepts the charges of the call. In such situations the call rates and charges are usually higher than normal and most times prisons enter into partnerships with these phone companies to share the profit.
In cases where the inmates are required to pay for their calls, the calls rates are equally high. These prisoners use the money given to them to pay for the exorbitant call rates. For Rwanda’s prisons, where Sengabo noted that, “Our social service departments will take care of the procedures and help inmate keep their money. Some will need to use it as airtime to talk to their families or follow up on business. One might also want to talk to a lover they left back home. We also thought of their visitors who reside far in foreign countries that often visit their relatives once in five years. Prisoners will be able to call such people.”
The prisoners are not even aware of how much they are being charged as they are not in possession of there money. Although, there are currently no figures on how much inmates would be charged and at what call rates, or even when the phones would become available, in countries like the United states, Prisons charge as high as $14 per minute.
