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.
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You will have to get the new phone number to him. We would be happy to provide you with a coupon code to send a letter (with a photo) to let them know you have a new number for them to dial.
Read moreNo, 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.
Read moreAbsolutely! The companies that have the local contracts have varying rates. We find the best number for each unique facility. Sometimes the best rate is a local number, other times it's a number from outside of your state that lowers the call price. Send us the name of the facility and your telephone number, we will give you an honest estimate of the savings, if any.
Read moreEither call the facility and speak with a case manager or counselor, they have the power to reinstate your line.
Read moreIf you are sent to a prison to serve out a sentence, there are no free calls. The calls are initiated by the inmate, but they must have money in their account or money on a phone plan on the outside. If you are going to speak with him more than once a week, check with our Discount Telephone Service to see if additional savings can be gotten with a new number.
Read moreThe approval process is based on the actual person, not a phone number. Approved people are allowed to change their number at any time for any reason. If this occurs, the facility staff does not have to relay the new number to the inmate. They might, but the rules are against staff passing notes from the outside. You know inmateAID has two services to do just that. Please let us know if you need further help.
Read moreThis depends on what the service was. If you bought phone minutes and they were not used, the carrier will refund some if not all of what is on deposit. If you bought a phone number then most likely this is a month-to-month service that has no refund regardless of usage as the line is the commodity, not the minutes.
Read moreThree-way calls are dangerous for the inmate. Remember, there is a process to be able to receive a call from an inmate. The "no three-way call" rule is actually a rule worthy of enforcement as it allows for an unapproved call recipient to communicate with the inmate. This is considered dangerous for the staff and for the public at large. The prisons and jails spend a lot of money to stop it from happening. Their is software detection on the
Read moreDepending on where they are calling from, the standard times are 6am - 9:30pm. The phones are turned off during "count time" and lockdowns.
Read moreInmates must initiate the call. They cannot receive incoming calls. Depending upon where there are, there will be ONE carrier that you must use. You can accept a collect call from the inmate, set up a prepaid account or the inmate might be able to pay for their own calls from their commissary account. The carrier's prices are tiered. InmateAid finds the best number to use on THEIR system. In many cases, we can save your inmate $12.00 per call with
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