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
Yes, 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 think to...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Yes, 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 it to...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Processing 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 just take...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Pending 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 timeline.
You do...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
There 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 to 100 calls), not unlimited
Calls still have time...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Unfortunately 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,...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Yes, you still need to set up and fund an account with the facility’s phone provider, even if you are using an InmateAid local number.
The local number you received from InmateAid does not replace the jail or prison phone system. It simply gives your inmate a local number to call instead of a long distance one, which lowers the cost per call.
Here is how it works:
You get a local number from InmateAid
You set up a separate account with the facility’s phone carrier using that number
You...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Inmate debit calling works like any prepaid phone program. You fund an account through the facility's contracted phone carrier and your inmate uses that balance to make outgoing calls to approved numbers. As long as the account has funds and the number they are calling is on their approved list the calls go through.
Number approval timeline
How long it takes for a new number to be approved varies significantly by facility and phone carrier. In the best case approval is immediate...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
With discount phone services like InmateAid, your inmate will not automatically be notified when you set up or fund the service. That is because the system works by giving you a new local phone number, not by directly adding money to his existing account.
Here is how it works:
You are assigned a new local number that is tied to your account
You must send that number to your inmate so he knows what to dial
He will call that number instead of your regular number to get the...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
If your inmate is trying to dial the new number and cannot get through, the line itself is most likely working fine. The issue is almost always on the facility's calling system end, and it comes down to how the inmate's phone account is funded.
Here is how the service actually works. InmateAid does not replace the jail's phone system. What we do is provide you with a local phone number that routes to your regular phone. The purpose is simple:...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Yes, inmates at Butler County Prison in Pennsylvania can make international calls through the facility's contracted phone carrier. However the rates for international calls through prison phone carriers are significantly higher than domestic rates and can come as a shock to families expecting a manageable phone bill.
The international rate problem
Major prison phone carriers including Securus, GTL, and ICSolutions offer international calling plans, particularly to Latin American countries. The rates for these calls can reach $1.00 per minute or more depending...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Yes, inmates can effectively make long distance calls at much lower rates by using a service like InmateAid’s discount telephone system.
At Creek County Jail, calls to you in Arizona would normally be billed as long distance. Those rates can range anywhere from about $0.23 to over $1.00 per minute depending on the provider, which adds up quickly.
Here is how the discount service helps:
You are assigned a local phone number that matches the area near the jail
Your boyfriend calls that number as a local call...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Por ahora, el servicio de llamadas con descuento de InmateAid no está disponible para números en México. Esto significa que tu esposo no podrá usar este sistema para llamarte directamente a un número en Ciudad Obregón u otra parte de México.
Así es como funciona el servicio cuando está disponible:
Tú creas una cuenta en InmateAid
Se te asigna un número local en Estados Unidos
Tu esposo marca ese número como si fuera una llamada local
La llamada se conecta contigo a menor costo
Pero en tu...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
InmateAid’s discount telephone service is designed to work with both jails and prisons, as long as the facility allows outgoing inmate calls through a compatible phone system.
At places like Mercer County Jail, eligibility depends on the specific phone provider they use and whether the system can support the discounted routing.
If your account shows pending, that usually means:
Your setup is still being processed
A number is being assigned to you
The system is checking compatibility with the facility
You will be notified once everything is ready to...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
The InmateAid discount telephone service will be online May 1st with a special offer to our members. We will be inviting you to sign up for a rate that is the lowest in the industry for prison-inmate calling. If we can get you signed up any earlier we will be sure to let you know!
