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 you can do this all on the website. As long as you have the information and a valid credit or debit card, the new phone lines are emailed to you 24/7/365 - If you are having any problems, please call our offices to set this up 866-966-7100
Read moreYes, in most cases depending on the institutions
Read moreGlobalTel*Link (GTL) or connectnetwork.com is a real prison phone company. Globaltel.com is a company that uses the name of that prison phone company to trick you into thinking you are using the real GTL. They are not! InmateAid is not a replacement for the real GTL, we get you numbers that you use with GTL to make the calls less expensive. If you are long distance from a prison or jail, the cost of a 15-minute GTL call is
Read moreIs paying $14.99 per call to the phone service at the jail a scam? The discount phone service gets a telephone number (forwarded onto your current line) that reduces what the prison phone service can charge you. All it does is save money, the phone companies hate it and will tell you it's a scam while they are taking your money in big piles for simple 15 minute phone calls because they have a monopoly on the service to your
Read moreThis is controled at the facility level and the calls are usually 15 minutes. There are exceptions but 15-minute calls are the standard,
Read moreNo, inmates may not receive incoming calls.
Read moreThe most logical way is the InmateAid Discount Telephone Service which will bring the price of those calls to about $2.00. For us to give you an accurate estimate we would need to know the name of the facility and your telephone number. We will do a rate center match with the phone company software are give you an honest quote.
Read moreContact us, we know for 100% certainty we can get the call down to $3.00. Before you sign up, send us your number and the name and state of the jail and we will give you an honest estimate of the savings
Read moreOur service is not a replacement for NCIC; we make using them less expensive by getting you a number that is in a better rate category. The phone service at the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center is set up through a bid process. NCIC has the only contract for all inmate outbound calling and to tape record the calls. Therefore, you have to use them to receive calls. The choice is whether you pay NCIC for a long-distance call or a
Read moreIf you are getting a number from us, you will still need to keep your Securus account active. The number that we provide will make the amount you spend with Securus less.
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