subject: Family Paying For The Inmates Calls & Prison Phone Calls [print this page] There is no direct way for an outsider to pay for calls made by a prisoner. The only way to defer inmate telephone costs to the
family is for the family (or others) to send money to the inmate and then for the inmate to transfer those funds to his prisoner
telephone account for use. The funds are sent to a P.O. Box in Iowa:
Federal Bureau of Prisons
[Inmate's Name]
[Inmate's Federal ID Number]
P.O. Box 474701
Des Moines, IA 50947-0001
and very quickly credited to the inmate's account for use as the inmate sees fit. The only alternative for outsiders to pay the
expenses for an inmate's calls is for an outside party to obtain an account with a telephone service provider who specializes in
connection lines for inmates. This typically does save the inmate and his family money.
Transferring Funds Between the Inmate's Regular and Telephone Account
An inmate transfers the funds he wants on his telephone account from his regular account (the Des Moines, IA account). This is
done by the inmate in only one way: Through the use of the phones in the inmate's unit where he is housed. There is no other
way to transfer funds onto the prisoner's account. And only he can do this. To do this, an inmate pushes 118 after picking up
the receiver. He will then have to enter his Prison ID number and his PIN number after which he will be prompted to push a 3 to
transfer funds. He will then be asked to press the amount in "whole numbers followed by the pound key." Then after confirming
this on the phone by an additional keystroke, the funds will be on his account for use in making calls.
No-Nos for Inmates When Making Telephone Calls
There are a few things that federal inmates should avoid when making calls. They include making threats to anyone, discussing
any type of criminal activity or running a business from prison. Again, inmate telephone calls are routinely monitored for just
such type of activities.
Tips for the Prisoner to Make It Easier
To make it easier for the new federal inmate to make phone calls, consider doing the following: Setting up an outside service
to provide numbers for the inmate to use at a discount price; Having the inmate set up his account as soon as he arrives at his
FIRST federal facility-even the Federal Transfer Facility or a federal holding facility; and ensuring that the inmate has some
funds on his account to immediately transfer onto his phone account as soon as it is activated by the staff; and lastly,
ensuring that the federal inmate has a list of family/friends and their numbers at his disposal as soon as he reaches his
federal destination.
One service provider for inmates and their telephone needs is CheapJailCalls. They have a proud history of connecting
prisoners to their families all over the world, particularly in North and South America and Europe. Give them a call at
1.800.526.1170 for more information.
by: lucy1ndasky
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