Family visits also are not permitted with common law relationships. Most women in California's prisons are from urban areas of the state. However, the facilities that house the majority of the female population are in rural regions of California. Bus service to these locations can be limited and the trip often takes many hours. The exorbitant cost of the current phone system for California state prisons places another enormous financial burden on inmate families.
Calls paid by prisoners accrue high surcharges and charge the maximum per-minute rates.
Though phone companies allege that higher rates are necessary because of the expensive security systems required for prisons, the states also share responsibility for these high rates. Telephone companies are offering higher and higher commissions for states to get contracts. The money the state of California receives from charges to prisoners and their families goes directly into the state's general fund and not the Inmate Welfare Fund. For women released from the California prison system the challenges for themselves and their children continue. Under new welfare reform guidelines, an individual previously incarcerated is not eligible for public benefits, including housing assistance.