AN ACT Relating to reducing fees and expenses for services for people confined in state correctional facilities;
SB 5231, titled the Connecting Families Act, would require the Department of Corrections and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to provide people confined in state facilities with voice communication services at no charge to the person initiating or receiving the communication. The bill allows those services to be supplemented with other communications tools, such as video communication and electronic mail or messaging, but it bars the state from receiving revenue, commissions, or fees from providing those services. It also prohibits using communications services as a substitute for in-person visitation.
The bill further requires the Department of Corrections to provide tablets at no cost to people in its custody and to maintain the same number of voice communication devices, specifically wall phones, in each housing unit as it had on January 1, 2025. It defines key terms such as voice communication services, other communication services, confinement, and department, and it applies to contracts for telecommunication and electronic media services in state correctional facilities. The bill also requires public posting of contract information and annual reporting on rates, fees, commissions, usage, costs, customer service, and revenues or losses related to those contracts.
The bill would amend Washington law governing correctional-facility communications and contracting by imposing new cost, disclosure, and reporting requirements on vendors and state agencies. It would affect RCW provisions related to inmate telecommunications and electronic media services, require public access to contract terms and pricing, and limit the state’s ability to profit from inmate communication services. It also creates new obligations for the Department of Corrections and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families regarding free access to communications and tablets for confined individuals.
The available voting history suggests broad support at the committee level, with the Senate Committee on Human Services voting 2-0 to substitute the first substitute bill and do pass. No committee transcript is available, so the record does not show detailed debate, but the bill’s framing indicates a generally reform-oriented approach focused on lowering costs and improving family contact for incarcerated people.
The main points of potential contention are the bill’s restrictions on commissions and fees, which would reduce or eliminate revenue streams tied to correctional communications contracts, and the requirement that communications not replace in-person visitation. Another likely issue is the mandate to provide tablets and maintain existing wall-phone access, which could raise operational and cost concerns for the affected agencies and contractors. The transparency and reporting requirements may also be viewed as burdensome by vendors, even as they are intended to increase oversight and reduce inmate costs.