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Stop execessive prison phone rates due to MDOC collecting special funds
  1. Signatures
    401 out of 100,000
    Petitioning
    1. The Governor of MI (+ 6 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The Governor of MI
      • The MI State Senate
      • The MI State House
      • State Rep. Joseph Haveman (MI-090)
      • State Sen. John Proos (MI-021)
      • Gov. Rick Snyder (MI)
      • MDOC Director (Dan Heyns)
  2. Created By
    Efren Paredes, Jr.
    Battle Creek, MI
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

The new Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) prisoner telephone contract with PCS includes a special equipment fund that is to be used to purchase and implement equipment that will allegedly detect contraband cell phones in the prisons. That fund has caused phone rates to nearly double. The MDOC could have awarded the prisoner phone contract to another company that offers cell phone detection technology at a much lower rate, but elected to award the contract to one of the highest bidders instead.
To support ending the special equipment fund fees and reduce the price of prisoner phone calls you are asked to sign the petition letter. When you sign the petition, e-mails will automatically be sent to Gov. Rick Snyder and Corrections Appropriations Repressentative Haveman and Senator Proos as well as Director of MDOC Heyns. Your own Senator and Representative will also receive an e-mail based on the address you use to sign the petition.
Please circulate this campaign widely via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and word of mouth. We need as many people to support this campaign as possible for it to be successful.  To help circulate this campaign we have developed a shortened link that you can easily share with others, which is: http://tinyurl.com/nomoreSEF

 

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Stop the Michigan Prisoner Telephone Special Equipment Fund Charge

Greetings,

I just signed the following petition addressed to: Michigan Governor Snyder, Corrections Appropriations Representative Haveman and Senator Proos.

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Stop the Michigan Prisoner Telephone Special Equipment Fund Charge

I am writing to express my strong objection to the special equipment fund (SEF) charges that Michigan prisoners and members of the public are being forced to pay for prisoner phone calls.

The SEF will allegedly pay for equipment that can detect contraband cell phones in Michigan prisons. The previous company the MDOC contracted phone service with (Embarq), offers the same technology at a much lower cost than PCS, the current phone contractor.

As a Michigan taxpayer I am requesting you do whatever is necessary to have the MDOC terminate the SEF option with PCS. The MDOC can accept bids from companies who can provide cell phone detection technology for a much lower price.

The existing SEF price increase impacts the lives of tens of thousands of Michigan taxpayers and prisoners. This is compounded by the challenges our economy is enduring and high unemployment rates. The increased phone rates will reduce the number of phone calls being made by prisoners to members of the public, it will further isolate prisoners from society, and erode family ties. As a civil society it is important to foster rehabilitation of prisoners, not interfere with that process.

If the legislature and MDOC Director are serious about reducing prison operation costs, this consideration should also be extended to taxpayers who pay the elected officials and state employees salaries. In this case by terminating the prisoner telephone SEF charge.

Your attention to this matter would be most appreciated.
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Sincerely,

[Your name]

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