Does Paying for InmateAid Replace the Jail Phone Service?

No, and understanding the distinction is what makes the math click.

InmateAid is not a replacement for the phone carrier at your jail or prison. Whatever company holds that contract, Securus, GTL, IC Solutions, or any of the others, stays in place. Your inmate still makes calls through that carrier and the cost still comes out of their account. That part does not change.

What InmateAid does is use software to identify the lowest-cost number available for your specific facility and provide you with that number. When your inmate dials the InmateAid number instead of your regular number, they hit a lower rate tier within the same carrier system. The savings are real and they show up immediately on every call.

Here is the math that makes it concrete. If a 15-minute call currently costs $7.50 and switching to the InmateAid number drops it to $3.15, you are saving $4.35 per call. Five calls in and you have saved $21.75, more than the cost of the monthly service. If you are talking every day or multiple times a day, the monthly savings can run into the hundreds of dollars.

The pushback some people have is not wanting to pay two companies. That reaction is understandable but it misses the point. You are not paying two companies for the same thing. You are paying one carrier for the calls and paying InmateAid a small monthly fee to make those calls significantly cheaper. The math is straightforward and it works in your favor from the very first week.