How Phone Calls From Prison Can Help To Rehabilitate Prisoners

Cheap Prison Calls: Why prison calls are so expensive? Image

When someone is sent to prison, the punishment is meant to be the loss of liberty — not the loss of human connection. Yet too often, imprisonment separates people not only physically but emotionally from their loved ones. This isolation can lead to hopelessness, damage family bonds, and even increase the likelihood of reoffending.

One of the simplest, most powerful ways to reduce these harms is regular, meaningful phone contact. Phone calls might seem small, but they’re a proven lifeline. They help maintain relationships, reduce stress, build hope for the future, and ultimately support rehabilitation. In this post, we explore why phone calls matter so much, how they influence life during and after prison, and why supporting affordable, frequent contact is a crucial part of reducing crime long-term.

Why maintaining family contact matters

Prison is already isolating
Life inside is structured, restrictive, and isolating. Prisoners lose the ability to decide even the smallest parts of daily life — when to eat, what to wear, when to go outside. On top of that, they’re physically separated from their families, children, and partners, often by many miles.Without regular outside contact, many prisoners feel cut off and forgotten. Over time, this disconnection can harden into hopelessness, anger or depression. Maintaining relationships is key to staying anchored.

The link to lower reoffending
Multiple studies show that prisoners who keep close family ties are significantly less likely to reoffend after release. The UK Ministry of Justice has found that prisoners who receive family visits are 39% less likely to reoffend than those who do not. Regular phone calls work in much the same way, reinforcing the emotional connections that make someone want to build a better life outside.

How phone calls support rehabilitation

A steady emotional support system
Prison can be extremely stressful and mentally draining. A phone call home — even just a five-minute chat — can calm anxieties, reduce anger, and give prisoners an emotional outlet. Speaking to a partner, parent, or friend helps them feel cared about and supported, instead of abandoned.Knowing there’s someone on the outside rooting for them can be a huge motivator to behave well inside, attend programs, and plan for the future. It reminds them that they still belong somewhere, that there are people waiting for them to come home.

Keeping family bonds alive
Relationships suffer without communication. Phone calls help maintain ties with partners, keep romantic relationships going, and allow prisoners to still be part of their children’s lives.A dad hearing about his child’s school play, or a mum listening to her teenager’s problems — these conversations matter. They help prisoners hold onto a family role and identity that will be essential once they’re released.This is especially crucial for parents. Research shows that children who stay in touch with an imprisoned parent cope better emotionally and have fewer behavioural issues than children who lose contact altogether.

Communication gives hope, and a reason to keep moving forward

For many inside, knowing they have regular phone calls is something to look forward to. It breaks up the monotony of prison life, gives them something positive to anticipate, and helps mark time with small, meaningful events. Without this, days blur into each other, and prisoners may feel there’s nothing to motivate them to improve or engage with rehabilitation. A phone call can be a small but powerful spark that keeps hope alive.

How phone calls reduce prison problems right now

Better behaviour inside
There’s strong evidence that maintaining family contact through calls and visits helps reduce violence and rule-breaking inside prison. Prisoners with regular support networks are often less likely to lash out, less likely to get involved in drugs or debt, and more likely to follow prison rules.This benefits everyone — it means a safer, calmer environment for prisoners and staff alike.

Less strain on mental health services
Mental health problems are widespread in prison. Anxiety, depression and even suicide risk are far higher inside than in the general population. Regular phone contact with loved ones can ease loneliness, reduce stress and provide emotional support that staff simply don’t have the time or resources to offer one-on-one.

Preparing for release and reintegration

Building a stable future outside
Leaving prison is often overwhelming. People have to adjust to life outside, look for housing and jobs, and rebuild family relationships. Those who kept up strong contact through phone calls tend to find this transition much easier. They have family members who’ve stayed in touch, partners who still trust them, and children who still see them as part of their lives.Without this, many former prisoners return to a world that feels just as lonely and disconnected as prison — a major factor in why some end up back inside.

Calls help with practical planning too
Phone contact isn’t just emotional — it’s also practical. Prisoners might use calls to:
- discuss housing options
- arrange interviews or confirm appointments
- coordinate help with probation requirements
- sort out childcare or financial matters

Maintaining a line of communication makes it far easier to plan for release successfully.

Why affordability matters so much

The hidden cost of prison phone calls
In the UK, prisoners pay for all their social calls using funds from their personal accounts. These accounts are topped up either by wages from low-paid prison jobs or by money sent in by family.Rates vary, but calls to mobile phones often cost around 19–25p per minute, while calls to landlines are around 8p per minute. This means a ten-minute chat to a mobile could use up £2.50 — a big sum for someone earning less than £15 a week.This is where many families hit a painful dilemma: they desperately want to stay in touch, but the cost becomes a real burden, especially for those already struggling financially.

Missed calls have bigger consequences
When prisoners run out of credit, the calls stop. Many families don’t even realise this is why they’ve gone quiet. This sudden silence can breed anxiety on both sides, undoing emotional progress and making the prisoner feel forgotten — the very opposite of rehabilitation.

How Prison Call helps support rehabilitation

Lower costs, more calls
This is why many families use services like Prison Call, which provides a virtual landline number that forwards to your mobile. When your loved one dials this number from inside, they’re charged the landline rate (about 8p a minute) — even though it rings directly to your mobile. This often cuts phone costs by more than half, meaning prisoners’ limited credit lasts much longer. Families report saving £100–£300 a year, money that can go toward visits, canteen top-ups, or simply reducing the financial stress on everyone.

Fewer missed connections
Because it’s cheaper, prisoners can afford to call more often and for longer. This means fewer missed opportunities to hear a partner’s voice, check in on kids, or share a moment that reminds them what they’re working toward.

How to prevent running out of credit?

Staying in touch through phone calls is not just “a nice extra.” It’s one of the most important protective factors against reoffending. It keeps people grounded, reminds them of who they are beyond their sentence, and motivates them to build something better for when they come home.By making these calls more affordable and accessible, we’re not just helping prisoners — we’re helping families heal, reducing future crime, and building safer communities for everyone.

Calls aren’t a luxury

Prison is meant to separate someone from society physically, but it doesn’t have to destroy family ties or emotional bonds. Phone calls are one of the simplest, most effective tools we have to support rehabilitation. They provide comfort, reduce stress, reinforce family roles, and help prisoners plan for a stable life after release.If you have a loved one in prison, keeping that phone line open is one of the best things you can do for them — and for yourself. And if the cost is getting in the way, services like Prison Call can make those moments of connection more affordable, so you don’t have to choose between paying bills and picking up the phone.