Since July of 2022, the ACLC has partnered with the Sunshine Forum and Florida Prisoner Solidarity on a campaign to provide free phone calls for inmates of the Alachua County Jail. Our groups have provided high-quality policy research and insights from the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated individuals to Alachua County Commissioners, County Staff, and Sheriff Clovis Watson. The research and insights make it clear that eliminating phone charges for jail inmates is both morally necessary and cost-effective for the County. It is morally wrong to charge inmates, their friends, and families to stay in contact—connection with other is a human right. What’s more, many inmates are awaiting trial and are presumed innocent, making charging for phone calls no different than levying fines without due process. Free inmate call is cost-effective because it reduces recidivism.
Our proposal received a warm reception in one-on-one conversations with County Commissioners and the Sheriff. Despite this, two County Commission meetings that were scheduled to discuss inmate phone calls were canceled at the last minute. The first was canceled because County staff refused to reach out to our three groups to discuss the issue prior to returning to the Commission with a recommendation. The second meeting was canceled when the Sheriff boycotted the meeting because he was upset with the options County staff planned to offer. This second scheduled meeting was canceled with less than four hours’ notice. Commissioner Cornell made a motion to postpone the meeting at unrelated special meeting on transportation. The motion to postpone passed thanks to Commissioners Wheeler and Chestnut voting with Commissioner Cornell. . . Relief for inmates and their friends and family is now delayed because County and Sheriff’s office staff refuse to play nice with one another.
Please sign this petition demanding Commissioners Ken Cornell, Marihelen Wheeler, and Chuck Chestnut to stop uncritically deferring to Sheriff Clovis Watson by:
1) Making a public pledge to hold the April County Commission meeting on Inmate costs, regardless of the actions of County or Sheriff’s Office staff.
2) Voting to make all jail inmate phone calls free.