How To Call An Inmate Back
Published January 28, 2022
Prison life is hard for everyone, and outside emotional support does a lot to help an inmate survive in prison. That’s why prison calls are critical to inmates and their families.
Inmates can call family and friends from the outside, though regulations vary per facility. But the question is, how to call an inmate back? More importantly, can you call an inmate back? Technically, you can’t since they can’t really hand inmates telephones any time, but some facilities or department of corrections may reconsider in emergency cases.
Prison Call Rules
Each facility is given autonomy in implementing its own inmate calling system. As a result, prison call rules vary for each facility. But some rules apply to most prisons.
For one, inmates cannot receive calls or collect calls. They can only make outgoing ones, which means you can’t call an inmate back. The other parties are the only ones receiving calls from incarcerated people. This rule applies to federal, state, and county prisons.
In federal prisons, inmates only get 300 minutes of calls each month. This resets on a specific day, and unused minutes are voided. Prisoners, however, can’t use all their minutes in one go. Each call is limited to only up to 15 minutes. If they want to make another call, they’ll have to wait an hour after the start of the previous one.
You need to be careful what you say during prepaid calls, too, as all inmate calls are monitored except telephone calls to lawyers. Even then, the prisoner has to secure the necessary permissions since that’s just how the inmate telephone systems work.
(Related: How to Put Money on Phone for Jail Calls)
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When Can You Call an Inmate?
As was said, you can’t call a receiving inmate. But, in case of emergencies, some facilities may reconsider. It has to be a real emergency like the inmate’s house burning or death in the immediate family. You can call the prison’s warden and ask if you can talk to the inmate. Be sure to make the request politely. After all, they’re not obliged to pass on messages to inmates. They have all the right to deny you if they think you are being rude or that it’s not really an emergency.
What To Do When You Can’t Call an Inmate?
If you really want to talk to an inmate but they can’t or won’t call you, there’s always the jail mail. Some companies like GlobalTel make sending postcards and letters to prison a lot easier and cheaper. You just have to go to their website and create a personalized letter or postcard. They will then print it and send it to the facility where the inmate is. Like jail calls, all prison mails are thoroughly inspected, so you need to exercise caution too.
Now that the question, “how to call an inmate back,” has been answered. It’s time for you to initiate the call to your loved ones in jail. This is the sign.
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About The Author
Krizzia Paolyn is an SEO Specialist with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. It has always been her passion to share her voice, and at the same time, to encourage other people to speak up.
