The Hidden Tax of Incarceration: How Alabama's Prison System Drains Families

When someone is sentenced to prison, the punishment doesn't stop with the incarcerated individual. In Alabama, families often find themselves serving a financial sentence of their own—one that can last for years and cost tens of thousands of dollars.

For many families, maintaining contact with a loved one inside the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) is not a luxury. It is essential. Research consistently shows that strong family connections reduce disciplinary problems inside prisons, improve mental health, and significantly lower recidivism rates after release. Yet the cost of maintaining those connections has become a crushing burden.

Paying to Stay Connected

Every phone call, video visit, email, and message comes with a price.

At current rates, families can spend:

• $0.08 per minute for phone calls

• $0.16 per minute for video visitation

• Approximately $1.80 per hour for basic tablet entertainment and streaming services

A family that communicates regularly can easily spend $5 to $6 per day simply to stay in touch. Over the course of a month, that becomes more than $160. Over a year, nearly $2,000.

For many Alabama families already struggling with housing costs, transportation expenses, childcare, and rising food prices, these communication costs create an impossible choice between supporting a loved one and meeting their own basic needs.

The Cost of Survival Behind Bars

Communication is only the beginning.

While ADOC provides basic necessities, the reality is that many incarcerated individuals rely heavily on commissary purchases to meet everyday needs and improve their quality of life.

State-issued items typically include:

Weekly

• Two rolls of toilet paper

• One disposable razor

• One travel-size toothpaste

• One bar of soap

  
  

Every Six Months

• Two sets of state clothing

• Three t-shirts

• Three pairs of socks

• Three pairs of underwear

• One towel

• One washcloth

  
  

Annually

• One set of sheets (with exchange of old sheets)

• Seasonal jacket (must be returned)

• Basic footwear if needed

  
  

The state also provides meals, but many incarcerated individuals rely on commissary food to supplement inadequate portions or inconsistent quality.

A typical weekly commissary order can easily exceed $75. Add coffee, hygiene items, over-the-counter medications, or tobacco products where permitted, and the total rises quickly.

Quarterly incentive packages can cost families as much as $200 each, often providing clothing, food, and personal items that improve day-to-day living conditions.

Paying for Healthcare

Perhaps one of the most troubling costs is healthcare.

To request medical attention, incarcerated individuals are charged a $4 co-pay.

For many people outside prison, four dollars may seem insignificant. Inside prison, where only about 25% of incarcerated individuals in Alabama have access to paid work assignments, $4 can be the difference between seeking treatment and suffering in silence.

Families frequently find themselves sending money not only for food and hygiene products but also to ensure their loved one can afford to access medical care when necessary.

No one should have to choose between seeing a doctor and purchasing soap.

The Cost of Visiting

Alabama operates 17 correctional facilities spread across the state, from the Tennessee border to the Gulf Coast.

For families, visiting often means:

• Hours of driving

• Fuel expenses

• Hotel stays

• Lost wages from taking time off work

• Childcare expenses

• Physical challenges for elderly or disabled visitors

Even after making the trip, visits can be canceled without advance notice.

Families may arrive after traveling hundreds of miles only to be turned away or informed that visitation has been suspended.

The emotional disappointment is devastating. The financial loss can be equally damaging.

Paying Again for What Was Already Purchased

Many families purchase approved clothing, electronics, and personal items through prison-approved vendors.

However, during institutional searches and compliance inspections, property may be damaged, discarded, or confiscated.

Families often receive no reimbursement.

In some cases, items purchased through approved prison channels must be replaced entirely at the family's expense.

The result is a cycle where families repeatedly pay for the same necessities.

One Family's Reality

Between January 2022 and May 2026, I personally spent:

Service	Amount
Access Corrections	$19,513.57
Securus	$1,457.23
Union Supply	$875.05
IC Solutions	$340.00
CorrLinks/GTL	$178.99
Total	$22,364.84

That is more than $22,000 spent over four years simply to support one incarcerated loved one.

And my story is not unique.

Thousands of Alabama families quietly shoulder these costs every day.

A Public Safety Issue, Not Just a Family Issue

When families remain connected, individuals are more likely to succeed upon release.

When families are financially exhausted, strained, and discouraged from maintaining contact, everyone pays the price.

The burden placed on families is not simply a personal hardship. It is a public policy issue.

If Alabama truly wants safer communities, lower recidivism rates, and successful reentry outcomes, it must recognize family support as a public asset—not a revenue source.

Families should not have to bankrupt themselves to maintain relationships that research shows are essential for rehabilitation and successful reintegration.

The question is not whether families are paying.

The question is how much longer Alabama expects them to carry the cost alone.