Your Story Matters Here.
We want to hear from anyone who has been through the Kalamazoo County Jail, who has had a loved one there, who has ever used a jail or prison phone system to stay in contact with someone, or who simply has something to say about how this works. Whatever your experience is, it belongs in this conversation. Your story can be shared publicly with your name, published anonymously, or kept entirely private and used only to inform the campaign. You are in complete control of how it is used.
Share Your Story → ↓ Scroll down to read stories from community membersDominic "Kobeany" Deere // Kalamazoo
Dominic Deere spent nine months at the Kalamazoo County Jail in 2023 and 2024 after being arrested on a parole violation. A Kalamazoo native, he has a teenage son and is close with his nieces and nephews. He estimates that over those nine months, his family spent roughly $7,700 to stay in contact with him, about $3,100 on phone calls and $4,600 on video calls. He also described difficulty getting refunds from ViaPath when the tablets had connection problems.
"Just thinking of the financial strain put on your people, trying to keep up with you being in there, with them living out here, and helping you in there. It is hard. It's hard on everybody that's connected to you when you're in a situation like that."
Dominic "Kobeany" DeereDeere's story was reported as part of NowKalamazoo's investigation into the county's jail telecom contract, which relied on FOIA records obtained with the assistance of Civil Rights Corps. The investigation was the first time the full terms of the contract, including the rate structure and commission arrangement, had been made publicly available.
Original Investigation By: Kristanitie May, Raine Kuch & Reid Williams
Read the full NowKalamazoo Story →More Stories Coming
As people in the community share their experiences with us, we will add them here with permission. If you have a story to share, we would be glad to hear it. There is no pressure and no obligation, and you can remain completely anonymous if that is what feels right for you.