Phone Calls
The Department of Corrections (DOC) supports inmates maintaining ties with family, friends, and the community, and per DOC 450.200 Telephone Use by Incarcerated Individuals (pdf), will provide inmates access to telephones and reasonably priced telephone services.
The DOC currently contracts with ConnectNetwork by Global Tel Link and Securus Technologies for phone services.
- Calling an Inmate
- Eligibility & Requirements
- Conduct & Monitoring
- Family Emergency Calls
- International Phone Calls
Calling an Inmate
Only inmates may initiate phone calls. Friends and family may provide funds so that an inmate may:
*Prepaid calls to anyone on the inmate's Personal Allowed Number (PAN) list.
Go to the vendor phone services page for information about receiving calls, prepaid phone accounts, and rates, or see the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Eligibility & Requirements
Friends & Family
There is no application or verification process that must be completed in order to be eligible to receive phone calls from an inmate.
Inmates
All inmates are assigned an Inmate Personal Identification Number (IPIN). Inmates must enter their IPIN to initiate a phone call and are responsible for all calls made using their assigned IPIN. Friends and family do not need to know an inmate's IPIN to fund a phone account.
Inmates may only call phone numbers on their Personal Allowed Number (PAN) list. The PAN list can have up to 25 phone numbers, and inmates are responsible for maintaining their list. PAN lists will transfer with inmates when transferring to other DOC prisons.
Custom call features (e.g., 3-way calling, call forwarding) are not permitted.
Accessibility
Inmates with hearing and/or speech disabilities, and those inmates who wish to communicate with parties who have such disabilities, will have access to a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD).
Conduct & Monitoring
Inmates are provided access to telephones subject to limitations and restrictions to ensure the security and orderly management of the facility, and to protect the public. Inmates may not use the telephone system to continue or initiate criminal activity.
Prisons use a monitoring/recording system to enhance security, increase inmate and public safety, and reduce criminal activity or activity that could threaten the orderly operation of the facility. The DOC protects inmate's constitutional rights by providing for unmonitored legal phone calls made to a telephone number recognized by the applicable state's bar association. See DOC Policy 450.200 Telephone Use by Incarcerated Individuals (pdf) for details.
Any violation of DOC Policy 450.200 Telephone Use by Incarcerated Individuals (pdf) may result in the loss or suspension of telephone privileges.
Family Emergency Calls
All family emergencies must go through the emergency messages process at the prison facility where the inmate is located.
International Calls
Inmates may ask if international calling is allowed at his/her prison facility, and what procedures need to be followed.