Inmate calls; Legality of civil confinement

Families currently pay about $6 to accept a 20-minute collect call made by an inmate in a New York state prison.

The state Department of Corrections brings in more than $20 million a year off this deal with MCI. When MCI's contract expires in May, it should be replaced with a much fairer system.

Legislation that recently cleared the state Senate Committee on Crime Victims, Corrections and Crime would require the state to contract with the lowest bidder for prison telephone service contracts and would prevent the state from profiting from any deals.