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
Yes. Phone calls from your father to you should not create a problem, even with a warrant in your name. Prison phone calls are recorded and monitored, but a warrant for someone on the receiving end of a call does not automatically flag the call or block the communication. Inmates call family members with complicated situations all the time, and it does not raise red flags the way an in-person visit would.
Visiting is a different matter. In-person visitation requires a...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Yes, during the pandemic, inmate calls were free. They are no longer free and if you are paying more than $3 per 15 minutes, get an InmateAid Discount Phone line
Subject: Inmate phone calls
Not unless they have a smuggled, illegal cellphone in their cell
Subject: Inmate phone calls
The answer depends on where you live relative to the facility. Prison and jail phone carriers charge different rates based on whether the receiving number is local to the facility or long-distance.
If you live in Arkansas and your number is already local to the Wynne area, you may already be getting the lower in-state rate. InmateAid can still potentially reduce that further by identifying whether a local forwarding number would trigger an even cheaper rate with whatever carrier Cross County...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
yes, all of the phone systems have a prompt to check your balance of time remaining
Subject: Inmate phone calls
Yes. The forwarding number on your InmateAid account points calls to whatever phone number you designate, and that number can be updated when your situation changes. Email aid@inmateaid.com with your account details and the new number you want calls forwarded to, and the team will make the change.
This is worth doing promptly. If the forwarding number on file is no longer active, calls from your inmate will not connect and he will not know why. Updating the number quickly avoids...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Inmates control their own approved phone list. They can add and remove numbers themselves through the GTL phone system at the facility, typically using the kiosk or the phone unit interface, without needing staff involvement to make those changes.
If your person has forgotten what numbers are currently on their list, the simplest way to get that information is to ask their counselor. The counselor can print out a report of the current approved numbers on file. That gives them a...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
This can be fixed. Email aid@inmateaid.com with the correct facility name and the team will update the account at the phone company end. The forwarding number gets reconfigured for the right location so calls from your dad's actual facility will route through correctly.
Include your account details and the correct prison or jail name in the email so the team can identify the account and make the change without back and forth. These corrections are handled regularly and should not take...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
Yes, that is accurate. Processing facilities are the most restrictive environment an inmate will typically encounter in the Georgia system because they are transitional by design. The rules at Piedmont are tighter across the board compared to a regular housing assignment, and the limited phone schedule you described reflects that. Two 15-minute calls on alternating days, with Mondays being a phone blackout, is consistent with what processing centers impose while inmates are being classified and assessed before permanent placement.
On tablets:...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
When you receive the new number (via email, SMS text, and on the My Account Dashboard), the line is already active and loaded with minutes
