Cheap Inmate Calling Services Explained

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm and is not licensed to practice law. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help.

Cheap Inmate Calling Services in a Nutshell

As per the article written by Prison Legal News, keeping in touch with inmates helps them avoid repeating their crimes after being released. Hearing a familiar voice during difficult moments might make their day by offering support and comfort.

This is why inmate calling services rank as the best communication method between prisoners and their friends and family on the outside.

Apart from phone calls, available contact methods include:

Since calling inmates is not cheap, it is vital to find affordable services that help you stay in touch with incarcerated persons.

What Are the Usual Costs of Inmate Call Services?

Thanks to several popular service providers, such as Global Tech Link and ICSolutions, prisoners without active restrictions can make outgoing phone calls. What they can’t do is receive the incoming ones. Specific rules, such as the rates, calling hours, and call duration depend on the particular institution.

Making phone calls in jail isn’t free of charge, and the expenses are usually paid by prisoners’ friends and family. According to Prison Phone Justice, inmates’ friends, relatives, and pen-pals pay from $0.20 (in New Hampshire) to $5.70 (in Kentucky) for a 15-minute phone conversation with their loved ones.

That is why people always search for cost-effective solutions and plans to reduce call costs and get the most out of the provided service.

How Can You Use Inmate Local Phone Numbers To Reduce Call Costs?

In most cases, international calls have a significantly higher tariff limiting the number of available call minutes you have at your disposal. This is when local numbers enter the scene.

Certain service providers allow you to choose a phone number local to the correctional institution even if you are a thousand miles away.

All you need to do is sign up for the service and choose the number you want. Incoming calls will be automatically rerouted to your home or mobile phone, the rates will be much lower, and you will be able to save a significant amount of money.

Here are the most popular inmate local number services in the USA:

Many of these platforms offer free quotes that let you calculate the amount you might save, thanks to the local phone number they provide.

What Are the Affordable Unlimited Inmate Calling Plans?

Unlike the services that offer only a rate per minute, the platforms you can see in the following table have special monthly/annual offers that include unlimited call minutes:

ServicePricesBenefits
Inmate Call Connects (ICC)$19.95 per month

$49.95 per quarter

$90.95 per six months

$179.95 per year

  • No contracts
  • Setup costs included
  • Saving up more than 80% of the regularly spent amount
Pigeonly$14.99 per month

+$4.99 per every additional line

  • No cancellation fees
  • 30-day introductory period for $0.99
  • All county, federal, and state prisons included
Global-Tel$45.99 for 90 days
  • No automatic billing
  • Cancellation possible at any time
  • The possibility of changing the phone number anytime

How Can DoNotPay Help You Locate an Inmate?

Are you unsure about the exact location of the prisoner you want to talk to? This happens if you haven’t been in contact with them for a long time, or you have only recently learned that they had been arrested or convicted. Whatever the reason may be, DoNotPay gives you a chance to find them, thanks to our extensive database.

Knowing the prisoner’s name and the state where they serve their sentence will be enough for our app to track them down. You don’t have to check every correctional institution’s records because we provide precise results. Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Log in to your DoNotPay account in your
  2. Go to Connect With an Inmate and choose Locate Someone
  3. Input the prisoner’s name and the state

All prisons, county jails, and detention centers throughout the USA are included in the search database, which means you will also be able to find detained persons awaiting conviction.

DoNotPay Helps You Send Letters to an Inmate the Easy Way

If call costs still seem too high, you can always turn to other communication methods, such as writing to a prisoner. DoNotPay helps you compose a special message for your loved one and tell them everything you couldn’t say to them over the phone. We will even help you address your letter correctly!

Here’s the procedure you should follow:

  1. Log in to your DoNotPay account
  2. Go to Connect With an Inmate and choose Send a Personalized Letter
  3. Input the inmate’s name, their ID number, and the prison and unit in which they are located
  4. Write the message and attach photos
  5. Send your digital letter

As prisoners can only receive paper letters, DoNotPay will print out your digital message and send the copy to the inmate as fast as possible. You can even attach photos or drawings and style the letters using our templates.

Expecting a Response to Your Letter? Check Your Virtual Mailbox

The inmate’s response can reach you only if you check Allow Replies during the letter submission process. This way, you allow our system to create a Virtual Mailbox for you and confirm you want to receive all the replies there.

Here’s what happens then:

  1. The inmate writes a response to your letter
  2. They send the physical copy to DoNotPay’s address
  3. DoNotPay turns the message into a digital one and sends it to you

To check if you have any mail, make sure you keep an eye on the Virtual Mailbox located in the Connect With an Inmate tab.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

With DoNotPay, you can come up with various ideas on how to make your communication with an inmate even better. We can teach you how to send them gifts, pictures, magazines, love letters, and books from Amazon. You can learn the ins and outs of sending inmate packages all over the USA, including Michigan, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Use your to flip through all handy features that will make it easier for you to:

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