Northern State Prison uses GTL as their phone carrier, which is the same provider used across New Jersey Department of Corrections facilities statewide. InmateAid's discount phone service works by providing a local phone number that forces the prison's carrier to bill the call at local rates rather than long distance rates. That difference is where the savings come from, typically more than $10 per call at facilities where long distance rates apply. However, the NJDOC system is structured

No. CDs are not accepted at any prison or jail regardless of how they are sent or who they are ordered through. This applies to all facilities and all vendors including Amazon. The reason is security. Physical media like CDs can be used to smuggle contraband, and facilities have eliminated them from approved property lists entirely. This has also become less relevant as the music industry has shifted away from physical media, but the policy stands regardless. If

InmateAid does not automatically notify an inmate when a profile is created for them. The notification comes from you. The most direct way to let your family member know their profile exists is through a letter. Write and tell them that you have set up a Personal Inmate Page on InmateAid, explain what services are available through the site, and let them know how to make use of it from their end. For federal inmates who have access to

Magazines are one of the best things you can send an inmate, and there is a wide range of titles that are permitted at most facilities. The rule that applies almost universally is no nudity. Full nudity disqualifies a magazine from entering most correctional facilities regardless of how mainstream the publication is. Playboy, for example, is rejected at most facilities for this reason despite being a well-known title. For magazines with a sexier edge that stay within what

Depending upon the facility, there is a provision for "indigent mail" - if the inmate has a commissary balance for a period of time (less than a few dollars) the prison/jail will offer the inmate a set number of "free stamps" along with envelopes and paper to mail letters.

Adding a second or additional discount phone line is straightforward from your account dashboard. Here are the steps: Log into your InmateAid account and go to your Account Dashboard. Click on Discount Telephone. On the next page, click the red button that says Add a Local Line. Follow the prompts to complete the information for the new line, including the facility and the number you want the line to forward to. Once the new line is processed you

Forgetting the inmate ID number on a letter is a common mistake and in most cases it can be corrected before the letter goes out. If you catch the error quickly, log into your InmateAid account and add the inmate number to the profile before the letter is processed. Letters are typically processed the following business day, so there is usually a window to make that correction. You can also contact InmateAid directly with the number and we will

When an inmate transfers between state facilities, communication does not automatically carry over. Phone lists, visitation lists, and account access all have to be re-established at the new facility, and that process takes time. At most state facilities, expect one to two weeks before phone and visitation lists are set up and approved. Some facilities move faster, others slower, depending on staffing and the volume of new arrivals they are processing at any given time. The most reliable

Finding out a release date after a parole hearing requires going through a few different channels depending on how quickly the system updates and what information is available to you. The most direct source is your family member themselves. The Judgment and Commitment document, which outlines the full terms of the sentence including any parole conditions and release date, is given to the inmate and their attorney. If you can get a letter to your family member now that

When someone is taken into custody after a court hearing, there is typically a brief intake and orientation period before visitation is permitted. The exact timeline varies by facility, but most jails require new inmates to complete some form of intake processing before their visiting list is established and approved. At Harford County Detention Center, the process works like this: your fiancee will submit a list of approved visitors, and the facility will process those requests before any visits