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
Subject: Inmate phone calls
This is a common frustration and it almost always comes down to pressing the wrong option on the automated prompt.
Every inmate phone carrier runs an automated recording before connecting the call. That recording walks through several options, typically something along the lines of press one to accept, press two to hear rates, press five to block future calls, and similar choices depending on the carrier. The exact prompts and numbers vary between carriers, and pressing the wrong one, particularly a...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
You can try, but it seldom works. Correctional staff are not permitted to relay personal messages to inmates as a matter of facility policy. The rules exist for good reason: if staff started passing along phone messages from family members, the volume of requests would be unmanageable and the system would break down quickly. It is not that individual staff members do not want to help. It is that the rules prohibit it.
The most reliable way to get a message...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
If the inmate has full privileges and money on their books, they may call anytime from 6am to 9:30pm in most facilities
Subject: Inmate phone calls
Most juvenile facilities limit the phone and visitation to immediate family members only. If that is the case in Oregon, you will have to go through his parents to get information or permission for contact while he is detained.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
It is not a scam. You are asking because you are hoping there is a better way, a cheaper way. Most times there is a better way.
To understand our service, you have to understand how the prisons and jails do inmate calling. EVERY facility has only ONE service that has the contract to provide calling for inmates. InmateAid does not replace that service. We make it cheaper to use by assessing the call prices by area code. We get you a phone...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Yes, InmateAid works at FCI Florence and at federal facilities across the country. The service was actually created with federal inmates in mind, which is where it started before expanding to cover state and county facilities as well.
For federal inmates specifically, the savings tend to be meaningful. The Bureau of Prisons phone system charges rates that add up quickly over the course of a month, particularly for families who talk regularly. InmateAid's discount phone service typically saves families about $45...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
The most likely issue is that your husband is dialing your original number instead of the new InmateAid number. That is the most common reason the service appears not to work after setup.
InmateAid does not replace Securus, which is the carrier Starr County Jail uses. What InmateAid does is provide a different number for your husband to dial, one that routes calls through Securus at a lower rate than your regular in-state number generates. The call still goes through Securus...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
All phone numbers are provisioned by a utility and emailed to the address you provide when you signed up, usually an hour from the receiving of your Transaction Receipt email. Sometimes the emails end up in your spam folder so check there too, if you don't see it.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
Sign up for the Discount Telephone Service. If your number is not local to Twin City GA rate center, then the call will be 3-4 times more expensive than if your inmate calls you to their rate center. We can get that local number for you.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
Your inmate will not know automatically. The phone account is set up on your end, and getting the new number to them requires a direct communication since you have not been in contact since the transfer.
The most practical solution is a letter, and InmateAid makes that easy. Email aid@inmateaid.com and ask for a notification coupon code. InmateAid provides these at no charge specifically for situations like this, where you need to get a new phone number to your inmate quickly...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
You can contact GTL and ask them to swap the number you have for the number we provide. In almost every case nationwide with GTL, there is a $4.00 per call savings with our numbers. You might also let them know on their last call to your old number about the change - most inmates already know about the service and probably alerted you to contact us.
Regardless, we offer a coupon for a free letter or postcard with the purchase...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
It’s very simple to update your number.
If you change your phone number, just send us your new forward-to number, and we will update it on your account.
What this means:
Your InmateAid local number stays the same (the one your inmate dials)
We simply change where those calls are forwarded to
Your inmate does not need to learn a new number
How to request the change:
Email us with your new number
Include your current number and account details if possible
We will make the change quickly, and there is no charge for updating your...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
We are working on an international calling solution that should be available before the end of the month, early May 2017 at the longest. We will let everyone know by email promotion.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
They are a definite benefit if you talk more than 5-6 times a month. We can help in most cases and will let you know if we can't. Please let us know if you would like a coupon for a discount to try out the service.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
The general rule is the phones are on at 6am and off at 9:30, seven days a week. Times vary but this is a very good example. Some inmates may have telephone restrictions for disciplinary reasons which would limit usage altogether. Inmates must have money on their account or have a loved one set up a pre-paid account with a carrier. The inmate may dial out during those times and the amount of the call is debited from the account.
