Help before, during, and after prison.

Save money on phone calls. Send magazines, photos, letters and much more.

Connect with your inmate

Stay connected to your inmate

Click to learn more

Discount Phone

InmateAID finds you the cheapest rate on your inmate calls. Check to see how much we can save you!

Letters & Photos

Inmates look forward to mail call. Easily send letters and photos from your computer or smart-phone.

Postcards &
Greeting Cards

Send a postcard with a selfie or picture directly to your loved one, all from your smartphone.

Magazine Subscriptions

Inmates can read and share magazines with other inmates, helping them to make friends.

Send Money

One of the simplest ways to help your loved one is to send money for their phone and commissary accounts.

Second Chance
Jobs

We can help your inmate find employment post-release.

Looking for an inmate or information about a facility?

Search our prison directory

Ask the Inmate

Subject: After Prison Challenges & Services

My daughter will be released and travel by taxi and bus to a halfway house. Is there a way I can ship a phone for her to pick up after release, like at the bus station, for us to be in contact? It's not new, it's directly from ne.

Good instinct. A phone waiting for her on release day is one of the most practical things you can do, and there is no reason you cannot make that happen. Halfway houses allow residents to have cell phones, so once she arrives, she can keep it with her throughout her stay. Getting that communication line set up before she walks out the door means she is not navigating the first hours of freedom without a way to reach you. Shipping a phone to a bus station for pickup is not a standard service most bus stations offer, so that specific approach has some logistical challenges. Most Greyhound and regional bus stations do not have a package holding service for passengers, and counting on a station agent to hold something for an arriving traveler is unreliable. More practical alternatives worth considering. The first is shipping the phone directly to the halfway house. Call the halfway house in advance, explain the situation, and ask whether you can mail a phone there to be held for your daughter upon her arrival. Most halfway houses understand that residents arriving from incarceration need basic communication tools and will accommodate a reasonable request like this if you coordinate ahead of time. The second option is shipping the phone to a FedEx Office, UPS Store, or similar location near the bus station or halfway house that offers package hold or pickup services. Those businesses are set up to hold packages for pickup by the recipient with identification. On the phone itself, since it is a used device, make sure it is unlocked or compatible with a prepaid SIM card that can be activated without a contract. Prepaid plans are the most practical option for someone coming out of incarceration who may not immediately qualify for a contract plan. Coordinate with the halfway house before the release date to confirm the address and their willingness to receive the package. That one call removes most of the uncertainty.

Subject: Inmate Phone Calls

Can GlobalTel*Link block all phone numbers on an account over one disputed charge?

Unfortunately yes, and it is one of the more frustrating practices in the prison phone industry. GTL and ConnectNetwork have broad authority over accounts on their platform and can place holds or blocks on accounts when a chargeback or disputed transaction is flagged, even if the dispute was legitimate and reasonable. The fact that they blocked every number on the account rather than just addressing the disputed line is an aggressive response, but it is within their standard policy framework. The dispute creates a red flag in their system and until it is resolved their default is to restrict the entire account. Here is what can be done. First, the dispute resolution has to go through ConnectNetwork directly and needs to be escalated beyond the front line customer service representatives who were being unhelpful. Ask specifically to speak with a supervisor or the account resolution department. Document every call, the date, time, the name of the representative, and what was said. That paper trail matters if this needs to go further. If ConnectNetwork continues to be unresponsive or dismissive, there are reporting avenues available. The Federal Communications Commission handles complaints about prison phone carrier practices and has jurisdiction over issues like this. Filing a complaint at fcc.gov costs nothing and creates an official record. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is another option if the dispute involved a billing or payment issue. As an immediate workaround, another person in the household or a different family member can set up a separate ConnectNetwork account under their own name and fund calls from that account while the original account issue is being resolved. The blocked account should not affect a new account set up independently. This situation is not right, and you are correct to push back on it.

Read more inmate Q&A