No, inmate outbound calls are NOT and never have been free. All of the jails, prisons and detention centers have set their phone service to a government bid process. The winner of the contract has a monopoly on all of the calls. They can set their prices without worrying about competition. The calls are far from free. Our service works in 80% of the cases and if it works in your case, the savings could be substantial. Send us your telephone number and the facility name - we will give you an honest estimate before you sign-up