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
Maybe send them a postcard with your number on it
Subject: Inmate phone calls
Inmate phone privileges begin after orientation, usually within the first two weeks. They will have to have some money in their inmate account or they could call you collect (THE most expensive prison call). If they have money to call, they can call every day...
Subject: Inmate phone calls
Yes
Subject: Inmate phone calls
There are three reliable ways to stay connected, and each of them serves a different purpose.
Letters and postcards are the most consistent option. A letter costs almost nothing to send, reaches the inmate through regular mail regardless of what is happening with their phone account, and gives them something physical to hold, read, and reread. If you want him to know you are thinking of him and reaching out, a letter is the most direct signal of that. InmateAid's letter...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Your husband adds the LOCAL number to his Trulincs account inside the prison. They have computer terminals inside the rec room which is also where they send emails via Coorlinks. There is nothing for you to do but answer the phone!!
Subject: Inmate phone calls
You still pay for the calls. InmateAid does not replace the prison phone system or eliminate the charges. What it does is reduce what you pay by identifying the carrier's rate structure and finding a number that triggers the lowest available rate for your specific facility.
Here is how the savings work in practice. In the federal system, calls to a local number cost $0.06 per minute, while calls to a long-distance number cost $0.21 per minute. If your inmate uses...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Via email, text message and it is displayed in your Account Dashboard
Subject: Inmate phone calls
You would have to be on Jodi Arias' visitor list. She would have to initiate any phone calls, you cannot call the prison to talk to her.
Subject: Inmate phone calls
Yes to the first question. In most county jails, phone calls can be paid for directly from the inmate's trust fund or commissary account. The funds sit in their account and get deducted when calls are made, the same way commissary purchases work. This is one of the reasons putting money on an inmate's books matters beyond just snacks and hygiene products, it also covers their ability to call out.
On the prepaid account question: no. When you set up a...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
You cannot call an inmate, they must initiate the call.
