Alabama A&M University awards nine scholarships during bus tour to GCHS

The Greene County Board of Education held its regular meeting on Monday, March 20, 2023 with all board members present except Ms. Carrie Dancy.
In his positive news for Greene County High School, Superintendent Dr. Corey Jones stated that nine seniors received scholarships from Alabama A&M University, totaling $168,000, when the Alabama A& M Bus Tour visited GCHS on March 2, 2023. Adopt-A-School partners and community leaders read to scholars at GCHS for Read Across America Week. Act testing at the high school was successful with nearly 100% student participation. GCHS seniors attended Stillman College TIGERFEST, with several scholars showing interest in enrolling at Stillman College. GCHS Honor Society and Peer Helpers read to scholars at EPS for Read Across America Week. GCHS football team participated in community service, picking up litter and helping to repair a house.
In positive news for Greene County High Career Center, Jones noted that Career Tech Student organizations recently competed in regional and state events: National Career Association (NCA) – 4th place winner at regional events; DECA; Skills USA. The Career Center has scheduled Parent Night for April 6 at 5:30 pm at the Career Center; Awards Banquet for April 27 at 5:30 p.m. at GCHS gym; Cosmetology Hair Show for May 5 at 5:00 pm GCHS gym.
In his positive news for RBMS, Dr. Jones noted that as Teacher of the year, Ms. Vanessa Bryant was awarded the Digital Discovery Scholarship for Title I Schools. Ms. Bryant was chosen over 200 plus applicants. This is her second year winning the award.
RBMS also hosted Muffins for Mom, a living Wax Museum and their annual Black History Program during the month of February. Parents were involved in all three events. RBMS hosted its first Mardi Gras Extravaganza on March 16.
The City of Eutaw hosted a job fair for RBMS students on March 14. According to Jones, Eutaw City is a faithful sponsor of RBMS.
Superintendent Jones included in his report the school system’s testing schedule. The ACT testing at Greene County High School was held March 15 through 17; ACAP Summative at Eutaw Primary School 2nd grade is scheduled for March 28 – April 4; ACAP Summative at Eutaw Primary 3rd grade is scheduled for April 5 – April 12; ACAP Summative at Robert Brown Middle Schoo 4th – 8th grades is scheduled for April 4 – April 21.
The board acted on the following personnel items recommended by Superintendent Jones.
Approved 2023-Language Essentials of Reading and Spelling Stipend: Danielle Sanders; Quenterica White; Chandra Toney.
Approved Employment: Canesha Ray, Long-Term Substitute Teacher for 2022-2023 Eutaw Primary School; Shelia Wade, Substitute Cafeteria Worker.
* Approved One-time Supplemental – COVID Testing: Jacqueline Raby, RN, Lead Nurse, $5,000; Brenda Lawerence, LPN, $2,500; Dorothy Jones, LPN, $2,500.
Approved FMLA Maternity Leave\Catastrophic Leave: Ms. Chandra Toney effective February 13, 2023.

The board approved the following administrative service items.
* Payment of all bills, claims, and Payroll.
* Bank reconciliations as submitted by Ms. Marquita Lennon, CSFO.
* UWA Black Belt Stem Institute Stipend Agreement.
* Service Agreement between Greene County Board and Stericycle Medical Waste Disposal.
* Contract between Greene County Board and Demisha Stough, Child Find Gifted Specialist.
* Contract between Greene County Board and E-rate Technologies Wide Area Network. For FY-23 School Term.
* Agreement between Greene County Board and Stericycle Service
* Agreement between Greene County Board and ABSS Staffing Solutions
Approval of Robert Brown Middle School to travel to Atlanta, Georgia Aquarium.
The CSFO, Ms. Marquita Lennon prepared the following Financial Snapshot as of February 28, 2023. Operating Reserve totaled 5.10M combined general fund reserve; 3.24M cash reserve, with all bank accounts reconciled. The General Fund Balance totaled $3,892,135.82, reconciles to the Summary Cash Report; Accounts Payable Check Register totaled $227,189.46; Payroll Register totaled $929,917.04 – total gross pay to include employer match items; Combined Ending Fund Balance totaled $6,157,563.17. The report indicated that the system is financially stable and maintaining the state mandated operating reserve.

Newswire: San Francisco board open to reparations with $5 Million payouts

By The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Payments of $5 million to every eligible Black adult, the elimination of personal debt and tax burdens, guaranteed annual incomes of at least $97,000 for 250 years and homes in San Francisco for just $1 a family.
These were some of the more than 100 recommendations made by a city-appointed reparations committee tasked with the thorny question of how to atone for centuries of slavery and systemic racism. And the San Francisco Board of Supervisors hearing the report for the first time Tuesday voiced enthusiastic support for the ideas listed, with some saying money should not stop the city from doing the right thing.
Several supervisors said they were surprised to hear pushback from politically liberal San Franciscans apparently unaware that the legacy of slavery and racist policies continues to keep Black Americans on the bottom rungs of health, education and economic prosperity, and overrepresented in prisons and homeless populations.

“Those of my constituents who lost their minds about this proposal, it’s not something we’re doing or we would do for other people. It’s something we would do for our future, for everybody’s collective future,” said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, whose district includes the heavily LGBTQ Castro neighborhood.
The draft reparations plan, released in December, is unmatched nationwide in its specificity and breadth. The committee hasn’t done an analysis of the cost of the proposals, but critics have slammed the plan as financially and politically impossible. An estimate from Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, which leans conservative, has said it would cost each non-Black family in the city at least $600,000.
Tuesday’s unanimous expressions of support for reparations by the board do not mean all the recommendations will ultimately be adopted, as the body can vote to approve, reject or change any or all of them. A final committee report is due in June.
Some supervisors have said previously that the city can’t afford any major reparations payments right now given its deep deficit amid a tech industry downturn.
Tinisch Hollins, vice-chair of the African American Reparations Advisory Committee, alluded to those comments, and several people who lined up to speak reminded the board they would be watching closely what the supervisors do next.
“I don’t need to impress upon you the fact that we are setting a national precedent here in San Francisco,” Hollins said. “What we are asking for and what we’re demanding for is a real commitment to what we need to move things forward.”
The idea of paying compensation for slavery has gained traction across cities and universities. In 2020, California became the first state to form a reparations task force and is still struggling to put a price tag on what is owed.
The idea has not been taken up at the federal level.
In San Francisco, Black residents once made up more than 13% of the city’s population, but more than 50 years later, they account for less than 6% of the city’s residents — and 38% of its homeless population. The Fillmore District once thrived with Black-owned night clubs and shops until government redevelopment in the 1960s forced out residents.
Fewer than 50,000 Black people still live in the city, and it’s not clear how many would be eligible. Possible criteria include having lived in the city during certain time periods and descending from someone “incarcerated for the failed War on Drugs.”
Critics say the payouts make no sense in a state and city that never enslaved Black people. Opponents generally say taxpayers who were never slave owners should not have to pay money to people who were not enslaved.
Advocates say that view ignores a wealth of data and historical evidence showing that long after U.S. slavery officially ended in 1865, government policies and practices worked to imprison Black people at higher rates, deny access to home and business loans and restrict where they could work and live.
Justin Hansford, a professor at Howard University School of Law, says no municipal reparations plan will have enough money to right the wrongs of slavery, but he appreciates any attempts to “genuinely, legitimately, authentically” make things right. And that includes cash, he said.
“If you’re going to try to say you’re sorry, you have to speak in the language that people understand, and money is that language,” he said.
John Dennis, chair of the San Francisco Republican Party, does not support reparations although he says he’d support a serious conversation on the topic. He doesn’t consider the board’s discussion of $5 million payments to be one.
“This conversation we’re having in San Francisco is completely unserious. They just threw a number up, there’s no analysis,” Dennis said. “It seems ridiculous, and it also seems that this is the one city where it could possibly pass.”
The board created the 15-member reparations committee in late 2020, months after California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a statewide task force amid national turmoil after a white Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd, a Black man.
The committee continues to deliberate recommendations, including monetary compensation, and its report is due to the Legislature on July 1. At that point it will be up to lawmakers to draft and pass legislation.
The state panel made the controversial decision in March to limit reparations to descendants of Black people who were in the country in the 19th century. Some reparations advocates said that approach does take into account the harms that Black immigrants suffer.
Under San Francisco’s draft recommendation, a person would have to be at least 18 years old and have identified as “Black/African American” in public documents for at least 10 years. Eligible people must also meet two of eight other criteria, though the list may change.
Those criteria include being born in or migrating to San Francisco between 1940 and 1996 and living in the city for least 13 years; being displaced from the city by urban renewal between 1954 and 1973, or the descendant of someone who was; attending the city’s public schools before they were fully desegregated; or being a descendant of an enslaved person.
The Chicago suburb of Evanston became the first U.S. city to fund reparations. The city gave money to qualifying people for home repairs, down payments 3. and interest or late penalties due on property. In December, the Boston City Council approved of a reparations study task force.

COVID-19

As of March 14, 2023, at 10:00 AM
(According to Alabama Political Reporter)

Alabama had 1,646,423 confirmed cases of coronavirus,
(1,890) more than last report, with 21,091 deaths (59) more
than last report.

Greene County had 2,313 confirmed cases, 4 more cases than last report, with 54 deaths

Sumter Co. had 3,182 cases with 55 deaths

Hale Co. had 5,734 cases with 110 deaths

Note: Greene County Physicians Clinic has testing and vaccination for COVID-19; including the new bivalent booster for Omicron variants.
Call for appointments at 205/372-3388, Ext. 142;
ages 5 and up.

President Biden will be third sitting President to attend – President Joe Biden to speak in Selma on Bloody Sunday during the Bridge Crossing Jubilee

President Joe Biden

SELMA, AL – “We are so proud and appreciative that President Joe Biden, the 46th President of these United States of America, is speaking at the 30th Annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee to commemorate the 58th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the Selma to Montgomery March and the passage of the1965 Voting Rights Act.

“It means a lot whenever a President comes to Selma for the Jubilee, but it is especially meaningful in light of the devastation wrought by the January 12th tornado that tore a terrible path through Selma,” said former Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders, co-founder of the Selma to Montgomery March Commemoration Foundation and co-founder of the Bridge Crossing Jubilee.
 Faya Rose Toure, the co-founder and Executive Director of the Bridge Crossing Jubilee said: “These are tough times in Selma. It is tough because of all the challenges Selma was already facing, which the January 12, 2023 tornado compounded and intensified. We needed President Biden to come this year more than ever, and he is coming. Many people come and cross the Bridge, but we need people to be a bridge to Selma. President Biden’s coming at this critical time tells us that he understands the need to not only cross the Bridge but also become bridges to Selma.”
Congresswoman Terri Sewell in a press release, said, ““I am thrilled that President Biden will visit Selma for the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, As Selma continues to recover from the January 12th storms, President Biden’s presence will send a clear message that our community is not alone and shows that the federal government will continue to be a partner in rebuilding Selma and Dallas County. I look forward to welcoming the President to my hometown as we reflect on the sacrifices of the Foot Soldiers in the name of equality and justice for all.”
 
Dr. James Mitchell, President of Wallace Community College Selma and co-founder and chair of the Selma to Montgomery March Foundation said: “The Bridge Crossing Jubilee is the largest annual Civil Rights and Voting Rights gathering in the country, and Biden has participated in several Jubilees, Martin & Coretta King Unity Breakfasts and Bridge Crossings.

“In 2013, then-Vice President Biden came to Selma’s Bridge Crossing Jubilee at our invitation and was the keynote speaker at the 2013 Annual Martin & Coretta King Unity Breakfast. He also spoke at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge as Vice President and led marchers across the Bridge in 2013. Biden came again in 2020 as a candidate for President of the United States on the Sunday after he overwhelmingly won the 2020 South Carolina Presidential Democratic Primary.

“He first spoke as President of the United States when he delivered virtual remarks at the first ever drive in Martin & Coretta King Unity Breakfast in 2021, which was also broadcast live on the internet during the heart of the pandemic. Joe Biden understands Selma’s pivotal role in democracy and the sacredness of Bloody Sunday, so it is especially meaningful that he is returning in person as President of the United States this Sunday.”
 The White House publicly confirmed this morning that President Biden will travel to Selma on Sunday, March 5th, to commemorate the 58th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Specific details are to follow. With his coming this year, President Biden will be the third sitting President of the United States to speak at the foot of Edmund Pettus Bridge during the Bridge Crossing Jubilee.
President Bill Clinton came in 2000 for the 35h Anniversary of Bloody Sunday. President Barack Obama came in 2015 for the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday. And now President Biden will be here this Sunday for the 58th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday to speak at the Bridge and lead marchers over the Bridge during the sacred and symbolic Bloody Sunday March.
At the Selma to Montgomery March Foundation’s invitation, President Biden had been slated to speak at the Bridge during last year’s Commemoration of Bloody Sunday but sent Vice President Kamala Harris to speak at the Bridge after Russia invaded Ukraine. 
For more information on the schedule for the March 2 to 6, 2023, Bridge Crossing Jubilee, Visit our website at: bridgecrossingjubilee.com.

Newswire : Students at Hillcrest High in Tuscaloosa, walk out after told to limit Black History program

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — More than 200 students walked out of class, on February 9, 2023 at an Alabama high school after they say they were told by school leaders to omit certain relevant events from an upcoming student-led Black History Month program. 
However, school officials have denied the allegations even while acknowledging the need for students’ concerns to be heard.
Students told WBMA-TV they were ordered to leave out major historical moments, including slavery and the civil rights movement, from the program scheduled for Feb. 22 at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa.
The students were told they “couldn’t talk about slavery and civil rights because one of our administrators felt uncomfortable,” said Black History Month Program board member J’Niyah Suttles, a senior who participated in Wednesday’s walkout.
She said the the direction from a school administrator left her hurt.
“My protector from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. — for you to tell me I can’t talk about something that is dealing with my culture is very disturbing, it’s very confusing,” Suttles said.
Fellow Hillcrest senior Jada Holt expressed similar emotions.
“Why am I being censored about my culture, something that is rooted in me? Why can’t I talk about it? History is history and it’s already been made, and it can’t be erased,” she said.
Senior Jamiyah Brown, who helped put the program together, organized the walkout, which lasted about an hour.
“Without our history we are nothing. Without teaching our youth where we come from, how can we move forward?” Brown said.
Tuscaloosa County Superintendent Dr. Keri Johnson, in a statement, denied allegations that an administrator told the students to leave out historical elements.
“It is not true that faculty or staff told students that slavery or the civil rights movement could not be part of the program,” Johnson said. “When several community members heard this and contacted Hillcrest High administration out of concern, administration explained to them that this was false information that was circulating.”
Johnson said the school system supports the students’ right to peacefully demonstrate.
“A number of our Hillcrest High students have concerns about the culture within their school. We care deeply about our students, and it is important that their concerns are heard. We are putting together a plan to make sure our students feel heard, so that we know the right steps to put in place to ensure all students know that they are valued,” Johnson said. 
The president of the Tuscaloosa Branch of the NAACP, Lisa Young, said the alleged direction was a disgrace.
“I don’t know how you can talk about Black history in this country without talking about slavery or the civil rights movement,” Young said.
She said she has asked to meet with Johnson but has yet to be given a date.
Young said she was “angry and part of me feels like we failed our students. We want to see what we can do to assist them and make their school a safe place.”

Newswire: Florida high school students threaten to sue Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis over AP studies ban

Gov. Ron Desantis of Florida

By Zack Linly, NewsOne

Three Florida high school students are threatening to file a lawsuit against the Sunshine State and its (alleged) white nationalist overlord, Gov. Ron DeSantis, over the state’s rejection of an Advanced Placement course on African American history—which, in this writer’s not-so-humble opinion, was rejected because DeSantis and his cohorts identify with the white, conservative and fragile, and that’s all that really matters.

“Certainly there are other advanced placement histories, such as AP European History, AP U.S. History and AP World History, all predominantly generated towards white people,” high school junior Victoria McQueen, one of the three students, said during a press conference, according to HuffPost.

And that’s exactly the truth. There’s nothing inherent about white-centered history that undermines American jingoism or the idea of American exceptionalism, so there’s never any real controversy there. (Unless you ask Black people who object to the romanticized way in which European history and American history tend to be presented at the expense of those who were historically oppressed during that history. But that doesn’t matter because we don’t matter. Our discomfort with white-centered curricula doesn’t matter. Our desire to see non-whitewashed history taught in schools doesn’t matter.)

Florida officials claim they’re only rejecting fringe ideology and indoctrination, as opposed to African American history, but when they’re advocating for unbridled patriotism and fighting anything that stands in the way of that, it’s clear that ideological indoctrination is just fine with them as long as it’s the right (pun absolutely intended) kind of ideological indoctrination

Anyway, the trio of students is being represented by none other than civil attorney Ben Crump.

“If (DeSantis) does not negotiate with the College Board to allow African American studies to be taught in classrooms in the state of Florida, these three young people will be the lead plaintiffs in a historic lawsuit,” Crump said.

Personally, I hope the lawsuit is filed and widely covered in the media. Even if the would-be plaintiffs lose the case, it will highlight the fact that neither DeSantis nor other Florida officials are waging their war against what they define as “wokeness” on behalf of the people—only their people.

Greenetrack forced to close by State Revenue Department

“On January 31, 2023 Greenetrack will close it doors due to the illegal and unfair tax that was assessed upon the company by the Alabama Department of Revenue. Greenetrack’s closure will mean the loss of jobs and benefits for almost 100 employees, as well as loss of funding to a community that was saved from bankruptcy in 2003 with the implementation of electronic bingo.  Once again, Greene County is faced with extreme poverty.” This statement was issued at press time January 31, by Mr. Luther Winn, President/CEO of Greenetrack, Inc.

Several months ago, Greenetrack stopped electronic bingo and substituted electronic wagering on historical horse racing, which was operated under its pari-mutuel license. As of February 1, Greenetrack will cease all wagering and gaming both on machines and with simulcasting of dog and horse racing at other tracks.

Subsequent to the release of this statement, the Greene County Racing Commission submitted for publication a request for proposal including application for license to conduct pari-mutual wagering with authorization to conduct live Greyhound racing, horse and Greyhound simulcasting and HHR gaming. The Racing Commission will accept proposals from February 2, until 12 noon on February 13, 2023.

Local bingo facilities contribute $616,999 for December

The  Greene County Sheriff Department issued a listing of the bingo distributions for December, totaling $616,999.32 from four licensed bingo gaming facilities.  The bingo facilities regularly distributing through the sheriff include Frontier, River’s Edge, Palace and Bama Bingo.  The recipients of the December distributions from bingo gaming include Greene County Sheriff’s Department, the cities of Eutaw, Forkland, Union, and Boligee, the Greene County Board of Education and the Greene County Hospital (Health System). 
     Sub charities include Children’s Policy Council, Guadalupan Multicultural Services, Greene County Golf Course, Housing Authority of Greene County (Branch Heights), Department of Human Resources, the Greene County Library, Eutaw Housing Authority, Historical Society, REACH, Inc., Headstart  Community Service and This Belong To US. 
     Bama Bingo gave a total of $117,157.87 to the following: Greene County Sheriff’s Department, $48,070; City of Eutaw, $9,250; and the Towns of Forkland, Union and Boligee each, $3,875; Greene County Board of Education, $10,500, and the Greene County Health System, $12,500. Sub Charities, each received $1,034.22 including REACH, Inc.  Community Service received $470.10 and This Belong to Us received $94.02. 
  Frontier (Dream, Inc.) gave a total of $114,995.01 to the following: Greene County Sheriff’s Department, $48,070; City of Eutaw, $9,250; and the Towns of Forkland, Union and Boligee each, $3,875; Greene County Board of Education, $10,500; Greene County Health System, $12,500. Sub Charities each received $870.53, including the Historical Society and REACH, Inc.  Community Service received $470.10 and This Belong to Us received $94.02.
     River’s Edge (Next Level Leaders and Tishabee Community Center Tutorial Program) gave a total of  $118,288 to the following:  Greene County Sheriff’s Department, $48,070; City of Eutaw, $12,543; and the Towns of Forkland, Union and Boligee  each, $3,875; Greene County Board of Education, $10,500; Greene County Health System, $12,500. Sub Charities each, $1,027,, including the Historical Society and REACH, Inc.  Community Service received $467 and This Belong to Us received $92.
     Palace (TS Police Support League) gave a total of $266,558.44 to the following:  Greene County Sheriff’s Department, $111,426.26; City of Eutaw, $21,441.50; and the Towns of Forkland, Union and Boligee each, $8,982.25; Greene County Board of Education, $24,339, and the Greene County Health System, $28,975. Sub Charities received $2,397.33, including the Historical Society and REACH, Inc. Community Service received $1,089.70 and This Belong to Us received $217.94. The sheriff’s supplement for November from four bingo facilities totaled $79,204.58

COVID-19

As of January 17, 2023 at 10:00 AM
(According to Alabama Political Reporter)

Alabama had 1,602,891 confirmed cases of coronavirus,
(15,667) more than last report, with 20,846 deaths (70) more
than last report.

Greene County had 2,240 confirmed cases, 21 more cases than last report), with 53 deaths

Sumter Co. had 3,083 cases with 55 deaths

Hale Co. had 5,615 cases with 110 deaths

Note: Greene County Physicians Clinic has testing and vaccination for COVID-19; including the new bivalent booster for Omicron variants. Call for appointments at 205/372-3388, Ext. 142;
ages 5 and up.

Newswire: President signs law to reduce costs of phone calls from prison

Washington, DC – Last Thursday, President Joe Biden signed into law the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022, a law that will ease the high costs associated with phone calls from prisons. The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) commends President Biden for signing this bill into law, as it puts an end to the price gouging of families trying to stay connected to their loved ones who are incarcerated.

The NCBCP worked, along with tireless advocates and the civil rights community, to move this legislation through the Congress and ultimately to President Biden’s desk. Our community will remain vigilant in seeing that the Federal Communications Commission will implement the provisions of this law fairly and expediently.

The Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act is a crucial step towards ensuring that incarcerated individuals are able to maintain meaningful connections with their loved ones. Not only is this law just, it is also a compassionate law, as it helps reduce recidivism by providing incarcerated people the opportunity to stay in touch with loved ones and their community without incurring undue and exorbitant financial costs.

In 2017, Reesy Floyd-Thompson, who calls herself a “digital wonder woman,” said she had to deal with the shame of the incarceration of a significant other. Her husband’s incarceration also meant that calling him would be difficult, if not impossible.
“I used to maintain a side hustle to take care of these calls alone. My husband and I used to endure monthly bills as high as $500 to stay connected,” said Floyd-Thompson, who headed an organization called “Prisoner’s Wives, Girlfriends, and Partners,” a support group for spouses and partners of those incarcerated.
Exorbitant telephone call rates have historically made it almost impossible for loved ones to keep in touch with family and friends behind bars. With rates as high as $20 per call in some areas, Congress has finally acted, and in 2023, inmates and family members will pay a lot less.
Both the House and Senate passed the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act, which gives the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the authority to guarantee reasonable charges for telephone and video calls in correctional and detention facilities.
“Too many families of incarcerated people must pay outrageous rates to stay connected with their loved ones,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel remarked in a statement.
“This harms the families and children of the incarcerated — and it harms all of us because regular contact with kin can reduce recidivism.”
“These are friends, family, and religious connections. We know from decades of correctional research studies that prosocial contacts and opportunities are important mechanisms for rehabilitation and reentry.
“To the extent that the programs reduce these interpersonal contacts, not only are prisoners worse off. It can be detrimental to family members themselves, particularly children,” she said.
African Americans comprise about 13 percent of the U.S. population, and they also make up 35 percent of inmates. According to a U.S. Department of Justice report, approximately 37 percent of the 2.2 million male inmates are Black.
“The astronomical fees are predatory and perpetuated by the phone companies and prisons, creating a mini-monopoly,” D.C. Democratic Delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton said. She said that the profits from the calls are sometimes shared with sheriff’s offices, who say they use the money for security needs.
A strong social support network is an essential tool in reducing re-offending, mainly for drug-related crimes, said Matt C. Pinsker, a former prosecutor, and magistrate who’s an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“I find the high cost of phone calls concerning. Anything that limits one’s opportunity to be better connected with family is cause for concern,” Pinsker said.
“I have had numerous cases where clients, especially indigent ones, were unable to talk to loved ones because they had no money on their accounts,” he said.
Former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn challenged the high rates, calling them a civil rights issue that prevents inmates from connecting with the nearly 3 million children in America with at least one parent in prison. It’s the greatest form of regulatory injustice I have seen in my 18 years as a regulator in the communications space,” Clyburn said.