I've been trying to find out why they "price gouge" the collect calls that prisoners make and why prisoner's can't have calling cards to reduce the price of alls to the family. Can anyone give me any info on this by any chance? Calls to Sprint don't seem to get me anywhere.

(e-mail address removed per PTO policy)

HI, I've placed this somewhere else too, but don't remember where :)
Anyway, I don't have a clue why they wanna make the collect calls so expensive.I live in Europe and a collect call from the US to the Netherlands is cheaper then collect call inside the US.

I know that this guy sometime calls 'with' a calling card. It works like this: his mother buys a calling card, and send him the pin of it, so the numbers that he needs. When he makes a call, he gets the operator and tell him/her he wants to call with a calling card. He then needs to give the pin of the card, and the call will be charged on the card, it won't be a collect call. He is in a state prison in Virginia. He'll be transferred next month, and will try it again there too.

See, there are always tricks to get around the prison rules (I even got a book inside without being from a bookshop). So if you (on the outside) buy the card and send the guy inside the numbers, he has to make the operator aware of the fact that he wants to call with a calling card. I hope it'll work in other prisons too. The only thing with a calling card is, that to call to Europe, they charge the first minute, for 20 min. But I don't think that will be the same inside the US?

if you want more tips, feel free to email me. I've tried almost everything to get around the stupid rules and most of the times it works

love
soraya

I already thought about the calling card thing, her's the problem. Florida is kinda one step ahead of me. The inmate has to put the numbers he'd like to access on a phone list, after they are approved he gets a pin # to access the telephone. He /she only has the ablility to call the # that were put on his list. They use an automated system so there is no operator to give the 800 # to. Any suggestions about how to do it in another way? How about the book thing?
Thanks for any info.
Michelle

hmmm, I will ask Darrell. Because he also had to get my phonenumber approved. As soon as I know, I'll let you know too :)

About the book thing, I've sent him a book to learn Dutch. The only thing I did was print a label/sticker from the computer that said:

Bookstore Deborg
Books & Magazines

and then my address. Deborg are the first letters of my last name. I expected it to be returned, but it got through! do not put any letter in it or whatever, just the book. and if possible, leave the price sticker on it. althought the price sticker showed another bookstore, it got through! I was so amazed about this. this should work with cd's and tapes and all that too. just make it look like it comes from a bookstore and not from a private person. many little tricks have been working for me. you learn quick when you write with more then 40 prisoners in several prisons. i managed to get in 'priority'stickers, one of my braids :D , stamps in a prison where they don't allow you to send stamps in. in Vacaville, CA they do everything to provide my letters get to the guy I write with. so I just use another name, wiht my address and it works....so if you need any help, let me know

really the only way around this is to get a phone number that is the same prefix of the prison so that it is not a toll call then have that number with call forwarding on it.. to your phone number it will not be a collect long distant call... that way.. you can get this number without a fixed address in that area I know people that have them and you can get 3 numbers that the number can be forworded to.. so to help pay for this you can have more then one person using it.. and they will help with the bill.. like say your son's grandmother or something like that.. an aunt or girl friend.. as long at it is only three numbers at one time that the phone is being forwarded to.. you will have to call this number and change the number to the others but thats not much.. and if you have it forwarded to your cell phone........

hope this helps..

Where in FL is he... George is in Avon Park..

well that didn't work.. as in the tag.. oh well..

George's Deb,
How do I obtain that Number? could you e-mail me some info? my guy is at CFRC. He is a permanent there. Actually he would like to be transfered to Avon park. Any suggestions how to do it?
Thanks for the info

I ALSO KNOW HOW IT IS ABOUT THE COLLECT CALLS MY PHONE BILL IS PROLBEY OVER 300 HUNDRED BY NOW FROM MY HUSBAND BEING IN PRISON.

The phone system my fiance uses is pretty simple and pretty cheap, for $1.50 for each call (each call is 15min long). I just hope they don't raise the rates. MCI Worldcom is what handles the collect calling from the institution.

I WISH WE HAD THAT SYSTEM

ME too!! :(

I do too! It's pitiful how the DOC will make money any way they can - even if it's robbing the families.

I just finished talking to him, turns out the calls are only $1.10 per call for 15min.

Holy smokes! Wish my calls with Melissa were that cheap! It costs us .47 cents per minute, max 15 minutes per call and we usually talk 3 or 4 times a week. I know other facilities have different contracts with the phone companies and some are much more expensive!

i am moving to Virginia... Leonda.... At least there, they do think of the families...

Donna

RIGHT NOW MY MAN IS RECEPTION, AND I DONT STRESS THE CALLS YET, BUT WHEN HE WAS IN COUNTY HE COULD CALL AND MY BILL WAS REALLY HIGH, JUST PAID IT OFF, BUT IF THERE IS A WAY TO REDUCE THE BILLS PLEASE LET ME KNOW, ONCE HES OUT OF RECEPTION HE'LL BE CALLING AGAIN, HES IN CALIFORNIA STATE PRISON

Wow Leonda!
My hubby is in Ohio and I am in Minnesota, our calls through MCI/Worldcom are $19.02 for 15 minutes. I wish our rates were the same! :-)
kmeg