I Paid $20 for My Inmate to Call Me But He Never Called. Where Did the Money Go?

This is a situation with a few possible explanations and the answer depends on where exactly you sent the money and what happened on his end.

First it is worth confirming where the $20 was sent. If the payment was made directly through the facility's approved money transfer provider such as JPay, Access Corrections, or MoneyGram, that money went into your inmate's account at the facility. InmateAid would not have a record of that transaction as it would have been processed entirely through the provider and the facility.

If you purchased a service directly through InmateAid and cannot find a record of it contact us at aid@inmateaid.com with your name and email address and we will search our system to locate any transaction associated with your account.

Assuming the money reached his account there are a few reasons he may not have called.

He may not have known the funds were there. The facility notifies inmates of account activity through their internal system but notifications are not always immediate and some inmates do not check regularly.

He may have used the funds for something other than calling you. Once money is deposited into an inmate's account it belongs to them. They can use it for commissary purchases, phone calls to any approved number on their list, tablet messaging, or other approved expenses. The funds are not restricted to calling a specific person.

Your number may not be on his approved call list. Even with funds available calls can only connect to numbers that have been submitted and approved by the facility. If your number was not added to his list after he returned to prison the calls simply would not go through regardless of the balance.

There is also the possibility that circumstances inside the facility prevented him from calling. A lockdown, a disciplinary issue, or a transfer could all interrupt phone access regardless of available funds.

One important thing to know about inmate account funds. Money deposited into an inmate's account stays with them throughout their incarceration. If they are released and still have a balance remaining that money is returned to them on a debit card at the time of release. The funds do not disappear and they are not returned to the sender.

To find out the current status of his account contact the facility directly and ask to speak with his case manager. They can confirm whether the funds are present and whether his phone privileges are active.