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

First and foremost, know that there is only one option for a phone provider at ALL the facilities in the US. The one that has the contract, sets the rates and terms... essentially a monopoly at the prison. We are not replacing them, we are using their pricing to find the best possible phone number to make the calls the cheapest possible price. If we can save you money, we will get the line, if not we refund the money... immediately....

A standard traffic ticket and an unpaid fine on their own will not prevent you from being approved for visitation at a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facility. Those are minor infractions that do not show up as disqualifying factors in a background check for visitation purposes. The only scenario where this becomes a problem is if an unpaid fine led to a missed court date and a bench warrant was issued. That is the question worth sitting with honestly...

That automated flag does not necessarily mean your husband did anything wrong, and it does not automatically result in disciplinary action. Here is what is actually happening when that message plays. The federal phone system runs every call through an automated monitoring layer that listens for specific keywords, unusual call patterns, and other triggers. Think of it like a search engine running in real time against the conversation. If the system detects a word or phrase on its flagged list, it...

The good news is that in most state systems the approved call list travels with the inmate rather than being wiped and rebuilt from scratch at each new facility. The list is tied to the inmate's DOC number rather than to a specific location, which means your number should still be on there when they arrive at the new facility. The gap in calls after a transfer is almost always about logistics rather than the list itself. When an inmate arrives...

In the federal system the approved call list stays intact through transfers. It is tied to the inmate's register number rather than to a specific facility, so when they arrive at the new camp their existing list of approved numbers comes with them. You do not need to reapply or go through a new approval process on your end. The only gap in calls after a transfer is the logistics of getting settled at the new facility. Once your inmate is...

Yes, the type of phone you have does not affect whether you can be on the approved call list. Prepaid cell phones, postpaid cell phones, landlines, and VoIP numbers are all eligible. The carrier and payment method behind the number are irrelevant to the facility's approval process. What matters is the number itself and who it belongs to. The inmate generally controls who goes on their call list, and the facility's review focuses on the person requesting to be added rather...

The complete visitation process for the Arizona State Prison Complex Yuma La Paz Unit is available through InmateAid's visitation guide at the link below, but here is an overview of how the process generally works for Arizona state prisons. The starting point is the visitation application. Arizona Department of Corrections requires everyone who wants to visit an inmate to submit a completed Visitation Request Form to the specific facility where the inmate is housed. You cannot submit a general application. It...

The money on his books is not the issue. The issue is the contact policy at juvenile facilities, and it works very differently from adult jails and prisons. Juvenile correctional facilities restrict communication to immediate family members only. That means parents, siblings, and grandparents. Girlfriends are not included in that category regardless of how serious the relationship is or how long you have been together. It is not personal and it is not about you specifically. It is a blanket policy...