Provides free telecommunication services for incarcerated persons at State, county, and private adult and juvenile correctional facilities.
This bill requires all New Jersey state, county, private, and juvenile correctional facilities to provide free voice calls, video calls, and email services for incarcerated people. It eliminates all costs for both inmates and their families by banning per-minute charges (previously up to 11 cents), surcharges, commissions, or fees on these services. Facilities must maintain current access levels and transfer any remaining prepaid funds to inmates' commissary accounts. The bill appropriates funds from the General Fund to cover implementation costs and takes effect six months after enactment.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026
Last action Jan 13, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
1
Key actions
0
Committee
0
Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee
upper
2 primary · 4 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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