. >> reporter: of year on their birthdays, bethany frazier's boys looked forward to a special phone call. one that would often have her running to pick it up. the voice on the other end belonged to their father calling for a maryland prison where he served time for hitting and killing a man driving drunk. how important was it for you to have your kids being able to talk to their father even though he wasn't here? >> over time i realized how important it was for everybody to stay connected. again for me if the kids are my core concern, they needed to know that, hey, i do have a dad. he's not here. he cares about me. what he did has nothing to do with me. >> bethany did everything she could to keep her family connected. her youngest was just two when the accident happened, and she didn't want her son to forget his dad while he paid the price for his crime. what she didn't realize is the price she would pay to keep them in touch. how much money do you think you spent in total? >> i easily could have spent $500 a month. >> bethany isn't alone. there are 2.2 million in prisons and jails, all