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 will receive a phone number. Here is how the whole process works from start to finish. After you complete your payment, InmateAid assigns you a local phone number and sends it to you by email. Orders placed overnight are processed first thing in the morning, so if you ordered during off-hours expect the number to arrive within an hour or so of the business day starting. Once you have the number, the next step depends on
Read moreGood news here. FCI Talladega's satellite camp shares the same facility infrastructure as the medium, which means the discount phone number you already have set up will work at the camp without any changes on your end. When an inmate moves from the main compound to the satellite camp at the same complex, they are still dialing out through the same facility phone system. The number your family set up is already on the approved dial-out list, so it
Read moreYour number does not expire just because it took a while to get approved at the facility. Once your account is active and in good standing, the number stays live on a monthly billing cycle regardless of whether your inmate has started using it yet. Facility approval can take time. Some jails and prisons process new numbers quickly, others take weeks, and in some cases the inmate has to submit the number through the proper channels and wait for
Read moreWhat you discovered is exactly how many families reduce the high cost of inmate calls, especially in Arizona facilities. Instead of funding accounts through Securus Technologies, which often includes extra fees just to add money, using prepaid calling cards purchased inside the facility can be a much more cost-effective option. Here is why this method works well: Inmates buy calling cards directly through commissary Calls are made at a flat rate per call (around $1.84 in your case) There are no deposit
Read moreYes, and we want to make sure every customer understands exactly what they signed up for before any confusion sets in. After you place an order with InmateAid, you will receive a confirmation email that walks through how the service works, what to expect, and what steps come next. Whether you have set up a discount phone line, sent a letter, or arranged another service, that follow-up communication is designed to answer the questions most people have before they
Read moreYes, that is exactly how it works. The number you received is a local phone line that forwards directly to the phone number you provided when you signed up. When your inmate dials it, the call routes straight to you. Before that first call can happen, there is one step that needs to be completed on the facility's end. Your inmate needs to register the new number through the prison's phone system. In the federal system that means submitting
Read moreProcessing delays on new discount phone numbers are usually tied to order volume, and holidays are the most common cause. When a holiday falls the day before, overnight and same-day orders back up and take longer to work through than normal. It is not a technical issue with your account, just a queue that is running behind. If your number is still showing as pending, it is actively being processed. Orders do not get lost in the system, they
Read morePending means your phone line has been ordered and is in the queue waiting to be assigned. It is not active yet, but it is being processed. Under normal circumstances, you can expect to receive an email confirmation with your new number within one to two hours of placing your order. If there was a holiday the day before, processing may run a bit longer than usual due to backlogged orders. It will clear, just not on the standard
Read moreThere are no true unlimited calling plans in jails or prisons like you would see with regular cell phone service. Facilities like East Carroll Detention Center contract with one phone provider only (such as Securus Technologies), and that company controls all calling options. Because of that setup, there is no competition and no outside company can offer unlimited calling. What you may be hearing about are subscription-style plans, not unlimited calling. For example: Some Securus plans allow a set number of calls per month (like up
Read moreUnfortunately we cannot accommodate international calling for inmate usage. We are working diligently with our software engineers to come up with a service that will give the international member a solution. It is high on our priority list to complete and will happily place you on a growing list of people interested in this service. You can use InmateAid to write letters and send photos through our system at very reasonable rates. Your inmate can write you back through InmateAid,
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