Ask The Inmate. Real answers from people who've been there.

No, there are no monthly plans from the carrier at the jail/prison. The service is contracted by government bid to about 30 prison phone carriers (GlobalTel*Link, SecurusTech, PayTel, ICSolutions, CityTeleCoin, NCIC, Reliance, Telmate, Encartele, Legacy, Correct Solutions Group to name a few). Only one wins the contract and by definition, they are a monopoly. You now pay their rates whatever they are. Some calls are over $20.00 for 15 minutes. There are other plans similar to our Discount Phone Plan. You can...

Inmates can and do get their college education during their incarceration. For inmates in a county jail, your inmate would have to speak with a counselor and ask what they will approve first. Depending on the length of the sentence, the staff will likely assist in proxying the exams and certifying the test results. If they get the blessing of the facility (usually they LOVE the fact that an inmate would take the initiative to improve themselves) there would have to...

Yes, it is worth paying attention to, but it is also worth understanding what is likely driving it before drawing conclusions. Distance in letters from someone who is incarcerated is extremely common, particularly in the early months of a sentence. He is sitting with a lot. Depression, shame, anxiety about what is happening on the outside, and an imagination that tends toward the worst possible scenarios are all standard features of the early incarceration experience. The distance you are feeling in...

The site or location number you need to add funds to an inmate's phone account is specific to the phone carrier the facility uses, and it is not something that stays constant across providers or facilities. The fastest way to get it is to call Hoffman Hall directly and ask. The front desk or a counselor can tell you which phone service provider the facility uses and point you toward the right place to add funds. Most facilities use one of...

Do not give up on someone just because they are going through a hard time. That instinct to stay connected is worth following. People in prison lose contact with friends faster than almost anything else in their lives. The stigma, the distance, the awkwardness of not knowing what to say, all of it causes people to quietly disappear from an incarcerated person's life one by one. By the time someone has been inside for a year, the circle of people still...