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

There are three ways phone calls work from a county jail, and understanding the difference between them matters because the cost varies dramatically depending on which option you use. The first is the inmate paying from their own account. If money has been deposited onto their books, the cost of each call gets deducted directly from their trust account when they dial. This is the standard setup and the one most families use once they have funded the account. The second is...

Yes, Telmate, which operates through GettingOut.com, is the phone carrier at Winston County Jail in Alabama. Every call your boyfriend makes from that facility runs through their system. If you are paying more than $3.00 for a 15-minute call right now, InmateAid can get that rate down to $3.00 or less. The savings come from the same place they always do with jail phone carriers. Telmate charges different rates depending on the number being dialed, and InmateAid identifies the number that...

Almost certainly yes, the data exists. Virtually all jail phone calls and video visits are recorded and the recordings are retained. The question is whether and how that data can be accessed by the inmate or their attorney. For inmates requesting copies of their own call or visit recordings, the process typically runs through the jail administration. Your husband would need to submit a formal request through the proper channels at Elkhart County Jail, most likely through his case manager, the...

No, and there are risks on both sides of that call. Prison and jail phone calls are recorded and monitored. Every number an inmate calls, and every conversation on those calls, is logged and available to law enforcement. Calling someone with an active warrant creates a documented connection between the inmate and a person who is currently wanted, which is the kind of detail that prosecutors and investigators pay attention to. For the inmate, regular contact with someone who is a...