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.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
NCIC - if you live in Texas, check out our Discount Phone Service, we can cut the price of the call in half.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
You have a short period that requires the inmate to go through and Admissions and Orientation period before the privileges are available.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
Yes, you are responsible for getting the number to your inmate. You can use one more "expensive call" to relay the number, you can try to contact the facility to see if they will pass it along (the rules prohibit it, but some of the COs will if you're nice on the phone) or mail the number in a postcard or letter. We offer a free postcard, just email us at aid@inamteaid.com and we'll send you a coupon code.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
Yes that is correct.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
The BOP line from InmateAid is local to the facility the inmate is in. The inmate has to pay for each call from their cell coming out of their Trulincs account - they use their money is for calls, emails, and commissary.
The 15-minute call to your number is $3.15, the call to the local number is $0.90. You're saving $2.25 per call simply by using our local number (which rings to your long distance number). Our $8.95 fee to rent this...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Inmates are allowed 300 minutes per month (400 mins in Nov and Dec). The money for the calls comes off their Trulincs account that cost either SIX CENTS per minute or 21-CENTS per minute. We get a local number to make the calls 6 cents per minute. This is a monthly savings of $45 for $8.95 (next month the price will be $4.95). If the inmate gets moved, we replace the number at no charge.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
State and federal prison have different rules on calling. In the state prisons, most inmates have unlimited talk time as long as there is money on the account. In federal, there is a 300-minute monthly limit (with an extra 100 in Nov and Dec for the holidays).
Dorm housing is like an army barracks with rows of bunk beds and lockers dividing the living space. Federal dorms hold about 100 inmates who share 6 showers, 4 toilets, 4 sinks, 2 urinals,...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Pretty much immediately if you are not on some sort of restriction. The delays happen when the inmate does already have an approved call list. If they are already in the system, there should not be a delay
Subject: Inmate phone calls
Federal inmates must pay for their calls though Trulincs, the BOP's version of an "inmate's bank". From Trulincs, the inmate directs the money to their commissary, email (Corrlinks) and phone calls. The phone calls cost either 21 cents per minute or 6 cents per minute (if you are local to the prison). If you are not local and want the calls to be 6 cents per minute, InmateAid gets the local lines for only $8.95. On 300 minutes, the local line...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
This phone service will work with every jail listed, The only thing that changes is the price based upon your current number vs. the location of the facility.
