§ 87A — State correctional facility, state prison or county correctional facility; voice communication services

[ Text of section added by 2023, 64, Sec. 1 effective December 1, 2023. See 2023, 64 Sec. 3.]Section 87A. (a) For the purposes of this section, the terms "state correctional facility'', "state prison'' and "county correctional facility'' shall have the same meanings as those terms are defined in section 1 of chapter 125.(b) The department of correction and sheriffs shall provide any person committed to a state correctional facility, state prison or county correctional facility, including a jail or house of correction, with voice communication services, including phone calls, free of charge to the person initiating and the person receiving the communication; provided, however, that voice communication services shall be maximized to the extent possible and no facility shall offer access to voice communication services less than were offered and available at such facilities on July 1, 2023; provided further, that the department of correction and sheriffs shall ensure adequate infrastructure for voice communication services; and provided further, that nothing in this section shall prohibit in-person contact visits.(c) The department of correction and sheriffs may supplement voice communication services with other communication services, including, but not limited to, video and electronic communication services; provided, however, that other communication services shall not replace voice communication services; and provided further, that other communication services shall be provided free of charge to the person initiating and the person receiving the communication.