Six states have now made phone calls from their state prisons completely free — and by one estimate the policy has already saved incarcerated people and their families more than $600 million. Here's the full 2026 list, when each state flipped the switch, the fine print about who's actually covered, and what to do if your loved one's facility isn't on it.
The 2026 list at a glance
| State | Free since | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 2022 | First state in the nation, under a 2021 law; covers calls from state facilities. |
| California | Jan 1, 2023 | Largest state system to go free; covers voice calls from CDCR prisons. |
| Minnesota | Jul 1, 2023 | Notably broad — the 2023 law reached beyond state prisons to local jail calls. |
| Massachusetts | Dec 1, 2023 | Covers state prisons and county houses of correction — rare jail coverage. |
| Colorado | Phased 2023–2026 | A 2023 law stepped rates down each year; calls reached 100% free in 2026. |
| New York | Aug 1, 2025 | First state to do it administratively — no legislation, just a DOCCS policy change. |
Cities and counties with free jail calls
A handful of local systems got there before their states did: New York City made calls from its jails free back in 2019, San Francisco followed in 2020, and Los Angeles County — the country's largest jail system — ended charges in 2023. If your loved one is in a county jail elsewhere, don't assume: jail calls are exactly where families still get hit hardest, because most "free calls" laws don't reach them.
States that capped rates instead
Missouri took a different route in 2025, capping calls from its correctional centers at 12¢ a minute rather than making them free — still a meaningful cut. Every other state is bound by the FCC's federal ceilings of roughly 11¢–19¢ per minute for audio, which changed significantly in 2025; our explainer on the FCC prison phone rate caps covers exactly what's legal to charge in 2026. Maryland came close to joining the free-call states, but its bill didn't pass.
The fine print families run into
- "Free" almost always means state prisons. Someone held in a county jail — which is where people sit right after an arrest and through pretrial — usually still pays per minute, except in Massachusetts, parts of Minnesota, and the local systems above.
- Calls are still time-limited and monitored. Free doesn't mean unlimited: 15–30 minute cutoffs and daily quotas still apply, and your number still has to be on the approved contact list.
- Video visits and messaging usually still cost money. The free-call laws cover voice. Video sessions, e-messages, and tablet media through providers like Securus, ViaPath (GTL), and GettingOut are billed separately.
- Federal prisons are not free. The BOP ended its pandemic-era free calling on January 1, 2025. Today, people in federal custody get 300 free minutes a month only as an incentive for participating in First Step Act recidivism-reduction programming; everyone else pays standard BOP rates.
Why states are doing this
The economics are stark. Before reform, families — disproportionately low-income, and mostly women — collectively spent hundreds of millions of dollars a year staying in touch, and roughly one in three went into debt over calls and visits. The research points the other way: regular family contact is one of the strongest predictors of staying out after release. A 2026 analysis found free-call policies in the early-adopter states had already saved families over $600 million, with call volumes rising sharply — people simply talk more when talking doesn't cost rent money. That's also why advocacy hasn't stopped at six states; similar bills surface in more legislatures every session, even as the FCC loosened federal caps in 2025.
What's the situation at your loved one's facility?
Coverage depends entirely on which system is holding them. Start with an inmate search to confirm the facility, then check its page in our directory — for example CDCR in California, Connecticut DOC, or Minnesota DOC — for phone details, or a county page like Weld County, Colorado if they're in local custody. Our provider directory explains which company runs the phones there and how to set up an account.
If your state isn't on the list
Then per-minute billing is still the enemy, and there are two honest ways to fight it. The first is knowing the legal ceilings, so you can spot overcharges — see the current FCC caps and our breakdown of why calls cost so much. The second is switching to flat-rate billing: our discounted phone calls service gets you the facility provider's plan at a flat $10 a month for 500 minutes — no per-minute anxiety, no fragile local-number workarounds, and nothing changes on your loved one's end.
Quick answers
- Which states have free prison calls? California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York.
- Are jail calls free in those states? Usually not — Massachusetts and Minnesota are the main exceptions, plus NYC, San Francisco, and LA County locally.
- Are federal prison calls free? No — only 300 monthly incentive minutes for program participants since January 2025.
- My state charges — what's the cap? Roughly 11¢–19¢/min for audio under the 2026 FCC caps (12¢ by state law in Missouri).