Inmate Phone Calls — Ask the Inmate
Prison phone calls are one of the most important lifelines between an incarcerated person and their family, and one of the most expensive. The prison phone industry has historically operated as a near-monopoly charging rates that few other consumer services would get away with. This section covers how the prison phone system works, why rates are so high and what has changed in recent years, how debit calling accounts function, how to get a number approved on an inmate's call list, how InmateAid's local number service reduces call costs by up to 70 percent, and what international callers need to know about reaching a US facility from another country. The questions answered here come from families who are paying too much for calls and from inmates trying to navigate phone access from inside. Understanding how the system works is the first step toward getting the most contact for the least cost. See also our sections on Money Transfer and Commissary.
Related InmateAid Services
As often as they want, as long as there is money on their books to make the calls
Read moreJuvenile offenders are not allowed to call anyone but their immediate family, girlfriends are not on that list.
Read moreThe inmate will need to add you to that list
Read moreBy using an InmateAid number, you are lowering the price of the call. You can talk longer for a lot less money. Prisons contract with only one prison phone company to provide outbound inmate calling services for each prison, jail or detention center. The prison phone company has no competition. We don't replace the prison phone company, we are simply providing a number that makes their call price less (based solely on the telephone number). People that come to InmateAid are already
Read moreThe one free call is usually within the first couple hours of detainment. We have heard of situations where they allow a call but it is not free. We do not know what she is being charged with so it'll be difficult to give you an accurate answer on "how long" she'll be there.
Read moreUsually within a week of arrival, provided they have gone through the orientation process.
Read moreYes they do for Haywood County Detention in Waynesville NC. Inmate telephone service is provided by Combined Public Communications. InmateAid can reduce the call price from $7.50 to $3.15. If you are paying $7.50 we can help, if you're already paying $3.15 we cannot get it any lower.
Read moreYou have to notify the inmate of the new numbe to use. Email us a request for a coupon code, you can use our Postcard or Letter Service to send the number to them.
Read moreCounty jail and state prison inmates can call as much as they want. As long as there is money on their books they can make calls. In federal prison, the inmates are limited to 300 minutes per month (400 per month in Nov and Dec as a holiday bonus). InmateAid can make the calls less expensive if you talk often. Plans start at $8.95 per month, no contract, no hidden fees.
Read moreYou must notify the inmate that you now have a phone number that they are to use to call you only. Using this phone number will make their call to you, less expensive. If you are paying for the call anyway, it might as well be at the lowest possible rate offered.
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