Florida Legislature Drops Free Prison Phone Call Program After DeSantis Vetoes
Florida drops pilot program for free prison phone calls after Gov. DeSantis vetoed funding twice, despite new study showing benefits for rehabilitation and families.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Florida lawmakers will not include funding for free prison phone calls in the upcoming state budget, marking the end of a three-year effort to implement the program after Governor Ron DeSantis repeatedly vetoed the initiative.
The Legislature had approved a pilot program in each of the past three years that would have provided well-behaved inmates with one free 15-minute phone call per month. However, DeSantis vetoed the funding in both 2024 and 2025, despite the program requiring no taxpayer money since it would have been funded through the Inmate Welfare Trust Fund generated within state prisons.
As lawmakers prepare to return to Tallahassee next week to complete the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget, no funding for the phone call program has been included this time around.
New Study Shows Benefits of Free Prison Calls
The decision comes as a new report provides evidence supporting the program’s potential benefits. The study, titled “Critical Connections: The Power of Free Communication in Prisons and Jails,” analyzed data from six prison systems and more than a dozen local jails.
The research concluded that free calls boost individual rehabilitation, family stability, facility operations, and public safety.
“For decades, incarcerated people and their loved ones have been forced to accept the outrageous cost of calls to stay connected — and for many, that cost became unbearable, tearing families apart,” said Bianca Tylek, executive director of Worth Rises and co-author of the report.
Program Would Have Cost Taxpayers Nothing
The Florida pilot program would have allocated $1 million in 2023 to provide inmates with monthly free calls, contingent on good behavior. The funding mechanism through the Inmate Welfare Trust Fund meant the state would not have needed to use general revenue or raise taxes to support the initiative.
Tylek emphasized the broader implications of free communication access in correctional facilities. “The findings in today’s report show that when jurisdictions make correctional communication free, incarcerated people emerge from isolation and recommit to their own rehabilitation, families experience life-changing financial and emotional relief, correctional staff enter markedly calmer and safer work environments, and the public welcomes home people more mentally and logistically prepared to return to society,” she said.
Other States Moving Forward With Free Calls
While Florida has stepped back from the program, six states currently allow free phone calls from prison: New York, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Colorado. These states have implemented similar programs as part of broader criminal justice reform efforts.
Worth Rises, which authored the study, describes itself as a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to dismantling the prison industry. The organization has been tracking the implementation of free communication programs across various correctional systems nationwide.
The absence of funding in Florida’s upcoming budget represents a setback for family members of incarcerated individuals and inmate advocates who had hoped the program would be implemented after years of legislative approval. The repeated vetoes and ultimate removal of funding highlight ongoing tensions between the Legislature and the governor’s office over criminal justice policies.
