Ask The Inmate. Real answers from people who've been there.

Unfortunately no. Inmates initiate all outgoing calls and there is no way to call them directly. That is standard policy at every correctional facility in the country regardless of the circumstances, including a phone number change on your end. This means the burden of getting your new number to him falls entirely on you through other channels before he can reach you. If he dials your old number and gets a disconnected message or no answer, he has no way of...

It happens, and it is frustrating when the record in question is a single misdemeanor from years ago with nothing since. But a denial is not necessarily the end of the road. The standard background check that every visitor goes through flags criminal records automatically, and some facilities apply those filters broadly. A felony is almost always an automatic disqualification through the standard process. A misdemeanor falls into a grayer area that varies by facility, and some institutions are stricter than...

A denial based on an open OUI case from three years ago with no felonies and no other record is worth appealing, and the warden's office is exactly where that appeal needs to go. The process is straightforward but the approach matters enormously. Write a formal letter addressed to the warden at MCI Cedar Junction. Keep the tone humble, respectful, and focused entirely on why granting the visit is appropriate rather than arguing about why the denial was wrong. Wardens respond...

Yes, your inmate must dial the new InmateAid number. That is not a technicality, it is the entire mechanism behind how the discount works. The price difference on inmate phone calls is determined by the number being dialed, not by the account or any setting on your end. Phone carriers at correctional facilities charge different rates based on the destination number, specifically whether it is a local call or a long distance call. InmateAid assigns you a number in a local...

The most reliable way to get a current answer on this is to call the facility directly at 972-441-6160. Visitation policies, particularly following the COVID-related restrictions that affected facilities nationwide, have been in flux and what was true a few months ago may not reflect current policy. Staff at the facility can tell you exactly what the current visitation format is, whether in-person contact visits are available, what the schedule looks like, and what you need to do to get...

The frustration with GTL is completely valid and extremely common. They operate as the exclusive carrier at thousands of facilities, which means no competition and no incentive to keep rates reasonable. Families end up paying whatever GTL charges because there is no alternative on that end of the call. The first thing worth fixing regardless of whether you use InmateAid is to stop accepting collect calls. Collect is the most expensive rate GTL offers, and every call you accept that way...

There are several reasons why this could happen, not all are bad reasons. They could be moved to a lower security level facility as their custody status could change as they get closer to the door. They could be moved to a jail near where they are going to appear in court. OR, they could be moved to a higher security level facility for infractions including fighting, contraband or separate issues. Ask your inmate why they moved him, he definitely...

This comes down to how the two systems interact, and it is worth understanding before assuming something went wrong. InmateAid does not replace the facility's phone carrier or eliminate their charges. What InmateAid does is analyze the carrier's own rate data to determine whether a different forwarding number can get calls to you at a lower published rate than what your current number generates. If your number is already being billed at the lowest tariff the carrier offers for your location,...

A full month of silence from someone who was calling regularly is not normal, and it deserves a direct explanation. Facilities do not restrict phone access without reason, but they also do not notify family members when they do it. If your man received an incident report for a rule violation, loss of phone privileges for three to six months is a standard consequence. That penalty gets imposed quietly on their end and the people waiting for calls on the outside...

Federal prison camp is the lowest security level in the system, and that distinction matters in real and practical ways. There are no cells, no bars, and no perimeter fencing to speak of. Inmates live in barracks-style dormitories with rows of bunk beds separated by lockers. It is institutional and uncomfortable, but it is a fundamentally different environment from what most people picture when they hear the word prison. Every inmate at a camp has a job. The work is not...

Yes, mail continues to reach inmates in the SHU at federal facilities including Thomson USP. Federal SHU inmates receive mail five days a week, which means a magazine subscription will get through even during a period of segregation. The SHU strips away most privileges, phone access is severely limited, visits may be suspended, and movement is essentially nonexistent. But mail keeps coming, and that makes it one of the most valuable lifelines available to someone in that situation. A magazine subscription...