A phone call to a US prison or jail can cost up to a dollar per minute -- a rate that forces one in three families with incarcerated loved ones into debt. In this searing talk about mass incarceration, criminal justice advocate and TED Fellow Bianca Tylek exposes the predatory nature of the billion-dollar prison telecom industry and presents straightforward strategies to dismantle the network of corporations that has a financial interest in seeing more people behind bars for longer periods of time.

The US prison industry extracts billions from families through predatory services like phone calls that can cost up to a dollar per minute, forcing many into debt. Most of this financial burden falls on women, especially in Black and brown communities, due to systemic racism. Corporate claims that high rates are needed for security or costs are untrue, as shown by stark price differences between states. Challenging and changing these business models can reconnect families, protect communities, and reduce the incentive to keep people behind bars.

Profit, Not Justice, Drives The US Prison Industry

*The Prison Industry: How it started. How it works. How it harms.*

TED Fellows: Shape Your Future

The multibillion-dollar US prison industry -- and how to dismantle it

justice system

prison

social change

TED Fellows

TED Stage Talk

Bianca Tylek: The multibillion-dollar US prison industry -- and how to dismantle it