Yes, the service works across every facility listed on InmateAid, but every situation requires examination based on the carrier rates. The platform covers jails and prisons nationwide, from county detention centers to state facilities to federal institutions.
What changes from facility to facility is not whether the service works but how much it saves you. The savings are what we are seeking. Every jail and prison contracts with a single phone carrier, and that carrier sets rates based on the type of number being dialed. InmateAid analyzes those rates for each specific facility and identifies the number that triggers the lowest available rate. Depending on your current phone number and its area code relative to the facility's location, the savings can range from modest to significant.
On the question of whether to just use the company that comes up when your inmate calls, that carrier is not optional. Whatever service holds the contract at that facility is the one processing every call regardless of what number is being dialed. You cannot replace them. What InmateAid does is work within that system by giving your inmate a number that qualifies for the cheapest rate that carrier offers for that facility. The carrier stays the same. The price changes.
The practical step is to let InmateAid evaluate your specific situation before you commit to anything. Email aid@inmateaid.com with the facility name and your current phone number, and InmateAid will tell you exactly what calls currently cost and what they would cost with an InmateAid number. If the savings justify it, you sign up. If they do not, InmateAid will tell you that too. There is no obligation before getting that estimate.