The cell phones are programmed to call 911 or a domestic violence shelter and cannot be used for other calls. The cell phones make it possible for women to have a mobility they might not have if they thought they were going to be away from a telephone. The phones can also relieve pressure on the already scarce resources of domestic violence shelters. Women who do not have phones in their homes might find it necessary to go to a shelter if it were not for the cell phones where they can call for assistance. Maureen O'Neil of Refuge House in Tallahassee told me that in one instance, a man approached a woman who had a protection order against him, and just seeing the cell phone was enough to make him run.
Some programs have a list of qualifications the women have to meet in order to get a cell phone.
For example, they have to have filed for a protection order, not be living with the perpetrator, or have been threatened. Other programs only require that the woman feel in danger. There are Call to Protect programs in D.C., Virginia, Washington State, Florida, and Alabama.