By Derrell Frazier, Senior Advocacy and Campaigns Strategist – New York
On August 1, New York became the sixth state in the country to make all phone calls free within its prisons and jails. This hard-fought victory will save families an estimated $13 million a year — money that should have never been taken from them in the first place.
For years, families were forced to make impossible choices just to stay connected: groceries or a phone call? Rent or a few minutes to hear a loved one’s voice? The emotional toll of disconnection is heavy — and the financial strain only deepens it. But this change marks a turning point, not just in policy, but in possibility.
As someone whose own family has navigated the system, this win hits home. I know what it’s like to count minutes, calculate costs, and feel the ache of silence when connection is too expensive. I also know how much it matters to stay tethered to family, community, and hope.
With this new policy in effect, every New Yorker — whether they live in Buffalo or the Bronx, make six figures or are struggling to get by — can now stay connected to the people who matter most without facing financial exploitation. And that connection is powerful. Research shows that maintaining family ties while behind bars reduces recidivism, improves mental health, and affirms dignity on both sides of the call. With free phone calls, people can plan for release, build support networks, and stay grounded in their communities: all essential to successful reentry.
For FFJC, this is more than a policy win — it’s a full circle moment years in the making.
How We Got Here: Organizing, Persistence, and Community Leadership
Our fee elimination work in New York began with the No Price on Justice coalition — a powerful alliance of directly impacted advocates, community leaders, and organizations working at the local, state, and national levels. We joined early, working alongside Worth Rises, Brooklyn Defenders, JustLeadershipUSA, Center for Community Alternatives, New York Communities for Change, and dozens more, all committed to ending New York’s predatory fines and fees.
Together, we helped New York City become the first city in the nation to make jail phone calls free in 2019. That landmark win forced state leaders to rethink their approach, shifting the question from “how much should people pay?” to “why are we charging them in the first place?”
New York State’s decision to end phone and video call fees was the result of years of organizing, trust-building, and unrelenting advocacy — from legislative chambers to living rooms.
A Victory for Families, Connection, and Justice Reform
Making phone calls free doesn’t just reduce financial stress. It restores something that never should have been taken away. For far too long, families — especially Black and brown families already disproportionately impacted by mass incarceration — were forced to decide between staying connected and staying afloat.
And the impact doesn’t stop at New York’s borders. This bold move raises the bar for the rest of the country. It shows what’s possible when we unite, organize, and refuse to settle for injustice disguised as policy, and adds momentum to the growing bipartisan movement to end justice fees.
While the road to reform will look different in every state, New York is sending a clear message: ending justice fees is possible, urgent, and long overdue.
From Milestone to Momentum
New York’s win is a milestone, but it’s not a finish line — it’s a springboard for what comes next. This chapter is about shifting power and making sure those most impacted are leading the way forward.
What drew me to FFJC wasn’t just the wins, but how the work gets done: rooted in community, grounded in equity, and focused on building change that lasts. Over the last decade, FFJC has helped shift fines and fees reform into a nationwide, bipartisan movement to expand opportunity and stability. This legislative session alone, we worked alongside partners across the country to help eliminate harmful justice fees in New Mexico, North Dakota, Nevada, and Oklahoma, delivering long overdue relief to millions.
The battles ahead won’t be easy. Like many states, New York still relies on fines and fees to try to fill budget gaps, despite clear evidence of their harms. Local governments across the state have grown dependent on this unstable, declining revenue stream. And too many state and local leaders still believe that harsher financial punishment will lead to greater accountability – but it won’t.
Still, momentum for reform continues to grow. State Senator Julia Salazar recently re-introduced the End Predatory Fees Act, a bill that would eliminate fees for penal, traffic, and vehicular violations. This legislation presents New York with a critical opportunity to move beyond punishment-driven policy and toward a justice system that truly serves the people.
You can’t squeeze money from people who don’t have it, and you can’t build safe communities by destabilizing the very families you claim to serve. By sharing power, deepening trust, and centering the people most impacted, we will deliver the lasting, overdue change that New Yorkers deserve.
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