Can we talk about how phone chargers are banned in most county jails?

I was chatting with a guy who did 6 months in Cook County and he said they don't allow any phone chargers in the cells. So inmates have to buy minutes on those expensive pay phones or rely on one shared charging station for tablets if they got lucky. It hit me that cutting off communication like that probably makes it way harder for people to keep jobs or housing when they get out. Would letting them keep a basic charger actually reduce recidivism a little bit? Has anyone seen a jail that tried this?

3 comments

3 Comments

sagecooper4d agoMost Upvoted

Doesn't it feel like everything's designed to keep regular people cut off from each other these days?

sagecooper4d agoMost Upvoted

My cousin did time in a county jail and they took his glasses once, claimed they could be used as a weapon. Made me wonder if the whole point is to make people feel helpless rather than safe. Phone chargers seem like another way to keep people disconnected from normal life.

the_anthony4d ago

That glasses thing your cousin went through is messed up but it fits the pattern. They take away anything that reminds you you're still a person with a life outside those walls. Phone chargers are just another tool in that system. Keeping people from calling their kids or checking on a job interview makes them feel like they don't matter anymore. When you're out and you've got no way to get back in touch with employers or family, it's no surprise a lot of people end up back inside. Letting inmates keep a basic charger wouldn't cost much and it might actually give someone a fighting chance to hold their life together.