Every call placed from a New York City jail is recorded, transcribed, searched, and analyzed—in short, weaponized for possible use against anyone on the line.

Prosecutors routinely listen to and weaponize recordings of attorney-client calls, corrupting the right to a fair trial. Call transcription gets it wrong, especially for Black and Latino speakers, producing inaccurate records that can become evidence. Call flagging and call analysis help manufacture accusations, and are vulnerable to abuse by jail employees. Call data sharing exposes incarcerated people and everyone who loves them to permanent criminal suspicion and possible immigration enforcement. Pervasive call recording erodes fundamental protections for incarcerated people and their communities.

For our third Power Down Surveillance webinar, this panel brings together experts on carceral surveillance as NYC moves to renew its phone surveillance contract with Securus, one of the worst actors in the industry.

Moderated by Eleni Manis (Research Director, S.T.O.P.).

Joined by Talia Kamran (Staff Attorney, Seizure and Surveillance Defense Project at Brooklyn Defender Services), Elizabeth Daniel Vasquez (Founder & Director, The Forensic Evidence Table), Vanessa Santiago (Brooklyn/Queens Community Leader and Canvasser, RAPP Campaign), and Theresa Grady (Harlem Community Leader, RAPP Campaign).