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
You can access the number through your My Account area of the website after you have logged in. Click on "Discount Telephone" and go to the red button that says "Add Local Line". Then add your inmate's state, prison name, their name and ID number and the telephone number you want the new line to ring to.
Then select the Monthly (300 minutes) or Quarterly (1000 minutes) Plan and then go to the "Pay Now" page. Once you have completed the transaction,...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Yes. Correctional facilities are required under the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide deaf and hard of hearing inmates with reasonable accommodations for communication, and that includes telephone access.
The most common solution at facilities that serve deaf inmates is a TTY machine, also called a TDD, which allows typed text communication over a phone line. Facilities are required to have TTY equipment available for inmates who need it, and family members on the outside need a compatible TTY device or...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Your inmate can call home by calling collect but AT&T does not have the contract with the jail, you will be paying GTL for this collect call. Please be mindful that this is the most expensive way of receiving and inmate call, it will cost at least $14.99 per 15 minutes. GTL has a prepaid option through their website. The cost of the calls vary depending upon where the call connects. If you are inter-state long distance, the cost of...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
The phone service at a particular correctional center is set
up through bid process. In this case, Global Tel*Link has the contract for all
inmate outbound calling and to tape record the calls - essentially a monopoly.
Therefore, you have to use them to receive any calls. The choice is whether you
pay GTL for a long distance call (to your number) or a local call (to a number
that we get you). If you are already local, we cannot save you money.
We get you...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
There is no single cheapest solution that applies to every jail or prison because the phone service at each facility is controlled by a contracted provider that sets its own pricing. Companies like Securus, GTL, and ICSolutions operate under exclusive contracts with individual facilities, which means the rate you pay is largely dictated by whichever company holds the contract at that specific location. Shopping around between providers is not an option the way it would be for a regular phone...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
You will need to get that number to him either by mail, in-person or on the telephone. the jail personnel will not forward the message.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
If your inmate calls are routing through a long distance number to you, the VERY best way is to get a line that is matched to the rate center of the prison. The prison phone companies normally charge much higher rates for long distance calls versus local calls. We can get a better rate through this matching process. Our fee is $19.95 which is covered by the savings in about 4-5 calls in most cases. Depending on the number of...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Unfortunately you will have to get the number to your inmate as the prisons will not relay messages of any kind from the outside into an inmate. We have a reliable letter service that you may use - ask us and we will provide a coupon code to send the new local number to your inmate.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
The service starts working very quickly, usually within about an hour after you sign up.
Here is how it works step by step:
1. You sign up and complete payment
Once your order is processed, a new local phone number is created for you that matches the area of the facility.
2. You receive your new number
This is typically sent to you by email within about an hour. At that point, the number is active and ready to use.
3. You must give the number...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
The phone service at
the all of the jails and prisons are set up through bid process. Whoever has the contract for
all inmate outbound calling and to tape record the calls has a monopoly contract.
Therefore, you have to use them to receive calls. The choice is whether you pay
them for a long distance call or a local call. The price is usually a pretty sizable difference
Here is how it
works... We get you a local line matching the rate center of town...
Read more