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
Yes, he will be able to use both numbers if they are both connected with the phone service at the jail. Using our number is just going to be better in the long run because of the lower per-call cost.
Read moreYou may use the Letter Service or the Postcard Service to send the new number to your inmate. There are other options, but they are not 100% reliable. One, you can try to call the facility and hopefully get a nice person on the phone who would take the information and let the inmate know, you could relay it through another inmate from their loved one and lastly if you are able to visit you can relay it there. If
Read moreHeart of America Correctional Treatment Facility has a contract with Securus Technologies - you have to use them to receive calls. The collect call is the worst way to do this so you want to get an AdvanceConnect account set up. Their rates are published on their website. Please let us know if you find that you are speaking more than once a week and its getting too expensive - we can help.
Read moreLosing contact without warning is one of the most stressful things families deal with, and it happens more often than people realize. There are several common reasons why calls can stop abruptly from a county jail, and most of them are not cause for panic. The most frequent explanation is a phone account issue. If the funds ran out on his phone account or there is a problem with the approved contact list, calls will not go through regardless
Read moreThe phones at all of the federal prisons are shut off at 9:30 pm. Usually there is a pretty long line at the end of the evening for calls and if you miss their call after 9:00, they would have to get in the back of the line and wait for another turn. That might be a challenge with all of the inmates waiting to get their last call for the day through, too.
Read moreEither sign up online, email us questions or call 866-966-7100
Read moreThis is a common point of confusion, but it is easy once you know how it works. In your confirmation email, you were given two numbers: Your regular phone number, called the “forward-to” number The new local number we assigned to help reduce call costs The number you give to your inmate is the new local number we provided. That is the number they must add to their approved phone list and dial when they
Read moreIf your boyfriend was arrested in Maricopa County, Arizona, the best place to start is the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office inmate search. That will show you his current custody status, charges, and in many cases an expected release date or court information. If you are not finding him, double check the spelling of his name and try variations. You can also use a background search service like TruthFinder to help locate him if you are unsure which facility he
Read moreYour new number is issued to you by email within an hour. Please let us know if you need assistance getting started
Read moreYes, they can call anytime as long as they have money on their books or you have a prepaid account set-up and funded through the carrier at the facility
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