How to Call an Inmate — The 2026 Prison Phone Guide

How Prison Phone Systems Work

Grasp a few basics and you'll waste far less time and money. Everything hinges on one rule that catches almost every first-time caller off guard: you can't call in to an inmate — they have to call out to you.

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Why Every Call Is Outbound

Jails and prisons block incoming calls to incarcerated people. Every connection is an outbound call the inmate places from a monitored phone inside the facility. When they dial your number, the call runs through whichever provider holds the facility's contract, and the per-minute charge is drawn from your prepaid balance — not theirs.

That's exactly why the account has to exist first. If your number isn't registered and funded, the facility's system has nowhere to route the call, and the attempt simply drops. From the inmate's side it looks like the call failed for no reason.

What Happens When the Inmate Dials

Phones are available only during set calling periods — often a few hours a day, staggered by housing unit. Before an inmate can dial your number, it usually has to be on their approved contact list, which they submit to a case manager or unit officer. Expect that approval to take a few days.

Once you're cleared, the inmate picks up a facility phone, enters the PIN assigned at intake, and dials your number. The provider connects the call automatically and deducts each minute from your prepaid balance as you talk.

Knowing what your loved one's day-to-day actually looks like makes each call land differently. Our guide to what life inside prison is really like gives you that context.

Who Runs the Phones: The Major Providers

A handful of companies handle most of the country's correctional calling, and each facility is locked into a single contract. You have to use whichever provider serves your loved one's facility — there's no shopping around. Before you register anywhere, confirm the provider by calling the facility or checking its page on AllRecentArrests.us.

Opening Your Account, Step by Step

Creating a prison phone account online usually takes 10–15 minutes. Every major provider lets you register and fund an account through its website or app, and the flow is nearly identical whichever one you use.

1. Confirm the facility's provider. Check the facility on AllRecentArrests.us or call its main line first. Register with the wrong company and your account won't connect to the facility at all.
2. Open the provider's site or app. ViaPath/ConnectNetwork: connectnetwork.com | Securus: securustech.net | ICSolutions: icsolutions.com | JPay: jpay.com Each one has an iOS and Android app if you'd rather manage everything from your phone.
3. Register your account (it's free). Enter your full name, home address, a working email, and the number you want the inmate to call. Some providers ask you to upload a government-issued photo ID to verify you, so have one handy.
4. Link the inmate. Add their full legal name, facility, and inmate ID number to tie your account to that specific person. Don't have the ID? Ask them by mail or on a brief call, or look it up with the AllRecentArrests.us inmate locator.
5. Add funds. Load your prepaid (often branded AdvancePay) balance with a debit card, Visa/Mastercard, or bank transfer. A starting balance of $20–$50 typically covers several weeks of calling. Each minute is deducted from your balance as calls happen.
6. Tell the inmate you're ready. Let them know — by letter, message, or through someone else — that your account is active and your number is set to receive calls. Remember they still need your number on their approved call list.

What Calls Cost Under the 2026 FCC Caps

Prison calling used to cost a small fortune — sometimes many times the price of an ordinary phone call. That changed after Congress passed the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act in 2023 and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set nationwide rate caps for what it now calls Incarcerated People's Communications Services (IPCS). The current caps come from the FCC's 2025 IPCS Order, which took effect on April 6, 2026 and replaced the earlier 2024 figures. Each cap includes a $0.02-per-minute additive that facilities may charge to cover their own costs:

Source: FCC 2025 IPCS Order (effective rates include the $0.02 facility additive). Figures are federal ceilings — actual rates may be lower.

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A few things stand out. The caps now apply the same way to in-state and out-of-state calls, so the old, much higher "local" rates are gone. States are free to set rates below the federal ceiling, and several — including California, Connecticut, Colorado, Minnesota, and Massachusetts — have made calls from their prisons free. The 2024 and 2025 Orders also banned most ancillary fees (like extra first-minute or per-connection charges) and reined in the site commissions that once drove prices up.

Fees That Can Still Add Up

• Deposit / payment fees — providers may charge a fee to load funds by card; bank (ACH) transfers are usually cheaper
• Third-party processor fees — funding through a payment partner instead of the provider directly can cost more
• Inactivity or dormancy fees — some accounts lose a small monthly amount when unused
• Minimum balance rules — a few accounts require a minimum balance to stay active

The Rules: Do's and Don'ts on Every Call

These aren't polite suggestions. Breaking them can cost your loved one their phone privileges, land them in disciplinary trouble, or hand a prosecutor evidence — so treat every one as a hard rule.

Ways to Lower Your Phone Bill

Even with the new caps, families who talk often can still spend $30–$150 or more a month. These are legitimate ways to bring that down — no rule-bending required.

• Push for free or lower state rates. A growing list of states — California, Connecticut, Colorado, Minnesota, and Massachusetts among them — have made prison calls free. If your state hasn't, contacting your legislators genuinely moves the needle.
• Lean on messaging. Email through JPay, ViaPath's ConnectNetwork, or federal CorrLinks usually costs a fraction of a call (often around $0.25–$0.50 per message). Use it for longer or non-urgent updates and save the phone for conversations that need a real voice. Our how to email an inmate guide covers account setup for each platform.
• Consider video where it's offered. Now that video is billed per minute under the FCC caps, home-based sessions can be reasonably priced and add the visual connection a call can't. See how to set up a video visit with an inmate for scheduling and tech requirements.
• Fund by bank transfer. Loading your balance via ACH instead of a credit card typically cuts the deposit fee substantially.
• Look for subsidized programs. Advocacy groups such as Worth Rises have helped secure free or discounted calling in a number of states and counties. Ask the facility whether any program applies where your loved one is held.
• Keep calls tight. At the prison audio cap, a 10-minute call runs about $1.10. Frequent short calls often feel more connected than occasional long ones — and cost the same per minute either way.

Video Calling as an Alternative or Supplement

Video visitation has grown fast since 2020 and now reaches many county jails, state prisons, and some federal facilities. Seeing a face and reading body language does something a voice call can't — and with the FCC's 2026 caps now setting per-minute video ceilings (roughly $0.19–$0.25 at most facilities), it's more predictably priced than it used to be.

At-Home vs. On-Site Video

• At-home video calls — done from your phone, tablet, or computer through the provider's app, with no travel. Widely offered and scheduled in advance through your account (for example, Securus Video Connect or ViaPath's video visitation).
• On-site video kiosks — conducted at the facility or a designated kiosk using its equipment. More structured, and not a substitute for in-person contact visits where those are allowed.

Other Ways to Stay Connected

Calls are the go-to, but they're far from the only channel. Mixing several methods keeps the connection strong and spreads the cost across the month.

Frequently Asked Questions About Prison Phone Calls