SimpliMingle Launches PlightAngels to Help Inmates and Their Families
Swansea, MA, April 27, 2021 --(PR.com)-- As an inmate-focused telecom startup, SimpliMingle has a front row seat to the financial hardships impacting families with incarcerated loved ones. Income may be lost, bills may go unpaid, and child care becomes more difficult for those left on the outside. And these hardships have only gotten worse for inmates and their outside supporters with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response, SimpliMingle has decided to launch PlightAngels, a weekly podcast featuring stories of struggle and hardship gripping the nation's inmate population and their families. Listeners that feel moved to lend a hand will be able to contribute to the plight being featured, with 100% of their contribution going toward the inmate or their family.
"Very few people stop to realize that when incarceration happens, an entire world of dominos begin to fall for those that are collaterally (but innocently) affected," says Kayla McNeff, Consumer Relations Director at SimpliMingle. "As a prison wife myself, I have a very close and personal connection to this initiative," says McNeff. The term "prison wife" is popular among the inmate family/friend support community, and mainly refers to a woman who has an incarcerated spouse. "I have heard so many stories of pain and heartache while sitting in visitor waiting rooms, and through my online support groups, that there was no question my team and I had to do something to bring these stories to the forefront with a way for people listening to step up and help," said McNeff.
Studies conducted on the effects of incarceration support McNeff's view; especially if the person being locked-up was the household breadwinner. The Equal Justice Initiative cites a study detailing that "(n)early two in three families (65%) were found to be unable to meet basic needs such as food, housing, and medical care while their family member was incarcerated." (http://whopaysreport.org/key-findings/). This means that bills essential to covering medical treatment, prescriptions, rent, heat and electricity begin to go unpaid. Then, when you compound that with situations involving children, oftentimes the remaining spouse is left to single-handedly shoulder the burden of providing clothing, school supplies and other childhood necessities. Not to mention, they need to accomplish all of this while juggling the emotional and psychological hardships that exist for children with incarcerated parents.
On the other end of the spectrum is the inmate themselves. Their family, already marred by the financial burdens they face as result of incarceration, are oftentimes unable to financially support their incarcerated loved one. Consequently, an incarcerated loved one can be forced to journey through the legal system with inadequate representation, or forced to sit in jail on a bail as low as $300 for a low-level offense. The American Bar Association estimates that "(a)s many as 500,000 people are held across the country in local jails because of their inability to pay bail mostly for low level offenses." (https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/economic-justice/criminal-justice-debt-problems/). Oftentimes, in this situation, a family breadwinner, likely already living paycheck-to-paycheck, may lose their job (and thereby their family's main source of income) because they can't post bail on an offense that will more than likely end with a term of probation or a simple fine.
The goal of the PlightAngels initiative is to help alleviate some of that burden for inmates and their families. "We just want to help in the best way we know how – by using communication tools," said McNeff.
Connect with the SimpliMingle team at Facebook.com/SimpliMingle or on Instagram and Twitter @SimpliMingle.
About SimpliMingle
SimpliMingle (SimpliMingle.com) is a voice and text messaging service providing inmates, their family and friends with a way to stay connected in real time. Inmates access the service over the institution's existing phone system using voice commands to navigate the menu options. Currently, SimpliMingle is available to inmates held in federal, state and county facilities nationwide – with the exception of inmates held in Arizona state prisons and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Since its launch in early 2020, SimpliMingle has provided services to inmates in more than 32 states, and in over 110 correctional facilities.
Media Contact:
Kayla McNeff, Director of Consumer Relations
Support@SimpliMingle.com
In response, SimpliMingle has decided to launch PlightAngels, a weekly podcast featuring stories of struggle and hardship gripping the nation's inmate population and their families. Listeners that feel moved to lend a hand will be able to contribute to the plight being featured, with 100% of their contribution going toward the inmate or their family.
"Very few people stop to realize that when incarceration happens, an entire world of dominos begin to fall for those that are collaterally (but innocently) affected," says Kayla McNeff, Consumer Relations Director at SimpliMingle. "As a prison wife myself, I have a very close and personal connection to this initiative," says McNeff. The term "prison wife" is popular among the inmate family/friend support community, and mainly refers to a woman who has an incarcerated spouse. "I have heard so many stories of pain and heartache while sitting in visitor waiting rooms, and through my online support groups, that there was no question my team and I had to do something to bring these stories to the forefront with a way for people listening to step up and help," said McNeff.
Studies conducted on the effects of incarceration support McNeff's view; especially if the person being locked-up was the household breadwinner. The Equal Justice Initiative cites a study detailing that "(n)early two in three families (65%) were found to be unable to meet basic needs such as food, housing, and medical care while their family member was incarcerated." (http://whopaysreport.org/key-findings/). This means that bills essential to covering medical treatment, prescriptions, rent, heat and electricity begin to go unpaid. Then, when you compound that with situations involving children, oftentimes the remaining spouse is left to single-handedly shoulder the burden of providing clothing, school supplies and other childhood necessities. Not to mention, they need to accomplish all of this while juggling the emotional and psychological hardships that exist for children with incarcerated parents.
On the other end of the spectrum is the inmate themselves. Their family, already marred by the financial burdens they face as result of incarceration, are oftentimes unable to financially support their incarcerated loved one. Consequently, an incarcerated loved one can be forced to journey through the legal system with inadequate representation, or forced to sit in jail on a bail as low as $300 for a low-level offense. The American Bar Association estimates that "(a)s many as 500,000 people are held across the country in local jails because of their inability to pay bail mostly for low level offenses." (https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/economic-justice/criminal-justice-debt-problems/). Oftentimes, in this situation, a family breadwinner, likely already living paycheck-to-paycheck, may lose their job (and thereby their family's main source of income) because they can't post bail on an offense that will more than likely end with a term of probation or a simple fine.
The goal of the PlightAngels initiative is to help alleviate some of that burden for inmates and their families. "We just want to help in the best way we know how – by using communication tools," said McNeff.
Connect with the SimpliMingle team at Facebook.com/SimpliMingle or on Instagram and Twitter @SimpliMingle.
About SimpliMingle
SimpliMingle (SimpliMingle.com) is a voice and text messaging service providing inmates, their family and friends with a way to stay connected in real time. Inmates access the service over the institution's existing phone system using voice commands to navigate the menu options. Currently, SimpliMingle is available to inmates held in federal, state and county facilities nationwide – with the exception of inmates held in Arizona state prisons and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Since its launch in early 2020, SimpliMingle has provided services to inmates in more than 32 states, and in over 110 correctional facilities.
Media Contact:
Kayla McNeff, Director of Consumer Relations
Support@SimpliMingle.com
Contact
SimpliMingle
Richard Felton
781-290-8588
www.simplimingle.com
Richard Felton
781-290-8588
www.simplimingle.com
Contact
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