Phone card cost at MCSD

How much should calls cost when prepaid phone cards are used? In a controlled environment, should extortion be allowed to exist by requiring use of what I call "robber" phone cards?

Suppose you are in a place where you cannot direct-dial your call. You must use a certain phone, at certain times. And if you place a call - even a local call - you must use a phone card.

The cost-per-minute has to be all over the board. With an AT&T Phone Card from Sam's Club the cost-per-minute is about $.03. Talk 10 minutes? $.30. Talk an hour? $1.80. Local or long-distance? Same rate.

Rates with other cards might be $0.05/min. Or $0.25/min. Or maybe $0.50/min. Could cost be $0.75/min.? Are rates determined not only by the duration of the call, but also by the distance called?

That's the "old" style lnog-distance telephone charge that some of us are familiar with. The younger generation won't know what we are talking about, though. They are used to their cell phones with unlimited national calling plans.

Let's say you are an inmate at the McHenry County Jail. Errr, Corrections Center... "Jail" works for me. If you want to make a phone call, you must use a phone card.

And you can't use just any phone card. You have to use the phone card sold by the commissary at the Jail. Phone cards cost $20.00.

OK, so how many minutes will you be able to talk for $20.00?

If a 20-minute phone call to California cost $15.00, what's the cost-per-minute?

$0.75/minute! Outrageous. Inexcusable.

How much profit for the Sheriff's Department is there on Phone Card sales? Why does the Sheriff's Department rip off inmates by selling them high-priced (per-minute) phone cards? Since an inmate can't buy a phone card anywhere else, shouldn't the Sheriff's Department offer cards that are priced fairly?