This is a half-good idea. Phone calls are crazy cheap nowadays, there’s no reason they should be charged a crazy amount. Hell, the jail already has internet service, a bunch of voip phones makes the true cost close to zero.
Video chat, sure, make it secured to where a couple computers can only run Skype/Facetime/Hangouts/yahoo messenger applications. All of which are free services. Guards can easily watch any screen to make sure E there’s no hanky-panky.
“Living wage”? And what, exactly, is that? Hell, put em to work cleaning roadsides, smashing grovel, whatever city work is available, and pay them 20% below market rate for that job. They’re in prison, not an all-inclusive job program...