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
Whether the discount service makes sense for a prepaid phone depends on how the calls are being billed and what the per minute rate is between your current number and the facility.
Here is the core issue. Calls from correctional facilities are billed based on the rate associated with the number being called rather than the caller's actual location. A prepaid Virgin Mobile number with a Daytona area code calling Quincy Correctional in northern Florida may or may not be treated...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Family and friends with questions regarding receiving international calls from an inmate, they may contact Securus Correctional Billing Services via the web at www.securustech.net.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
Our service is not a replacement for the phone service at the jail/prison/detention center. Our service makes theirs less expensive by using a phone number that is either local to the facility or some other area code that we are sure will reduce the call price.
Your inmate dials this number we've provided and it will ring on your current phone. You will need to register the number with phone service (just like you would your long distance number without...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
It would appear that you've answered your own question. If he is getting released in four months and he can't add a Malvern number to his call list, then there would not seem to be any benefit. The flip side is that the call price differential is about $4.00 per call.
We have a high density of users of the InmateAid Discount telephone service in The Omega Technical Violator Center and have not heard of the difficulty adding a number to...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
We might be able to make the calls cheaper, it works most of the time. But, please be mindful that we are not a replacement for the prison telephone service, we find you a telephone number that will make their calls cheaper (through that system). The phone service at the Scioto County Jail is set up through a bid process.
Securus has the contract for all inmate outbound calling and to tape record the calls. Therefore, you have to use them...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
The phone service at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility is set up through bid process covering all of the Oregon DOC facilities. Telmate has the contract for all inmate outbound calling and to tape record the calls. Therefore, you have to use them to receive calls - they are the only provider.
The choice is whether you pay Telmate for a long-distance call (to Eugene) or a local call (to a number we would provision for you). Here is how it...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Yes, but it is limited to the initial booking period and it is not quite the unlimited free call that popular culture suggests.
Upon first being taken into custody, inmates are generally entitled to make at least one phone call. The purpose of that call is primarily to contact an attorney or arrange for legal representation, though in practice many people use it to reach a family member who can then help with finding legal help or posting bail. The right...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
An inmate calling with a 713 area code displaying means that the carrier for that jail is GTL (connectnetwork.com). Their routing servers are in Houston TX but it has no bearing on the call's locality. Since Chautauqua County Jail is also a 716 number, we would like to know your whole phone number to see if you are in a different rate center (this is what we suspect). If it is, then getting you a Mayville number should reduce the...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
The phone service at
the particular correctional facility is
set up through bid process. Whichever company has the 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
then for a long distance call (to your number) or a local call
(to the number we provide).
Here is how it
works... We get you a local line matching the rate center of town where the institution is located.Your inmate
dials this local...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
the numbers are provided within an hour and are working when you get them. as far as getting the number to your inmate, it might require a letter or a call to your long distance number. do not expect the prison personnel to relay a message to your inmate.
