My fiance is in Tutwiler and was transferred from Dorm A to Dorm F last week. I finally got the account set up so she could call me and she called me on Thursday. I told her to call every day and three days later she has not called back. I am worried that something has happened to her after her transfer to F. Are there enough phones in F or is that the problem? How bad is it in Dorm F. She is emotionally fragile and I pray that nothing has happened to her to prevent her from calling again. I write to her every day but have not gotten a letter for about a week. Also, she got there just before Thanksgiving, but her visitor list is not yet approved. How long does it take? Her mother and I are desperate to see her, both for our piece of mind but also for hers as she will go crazy if she doesn't see us soon. How bad is it in Dorm F? Do they get any training, GED schooling, what care do they receive?

I don't have any specific info about the facility itself and dorms, but maybe someone will soon that can tell you more.

I'm surprised to hear they have not yet approved her visiting list - they always say it could take to up around a couple of weeks, but most places it only takes a few days. I couldn't really venture a guess what the holdup is, but they will notify her when it is approved - or you can call down there and ask to speak with whoever is in charge of visitation to see if it has been approved.

As for the phone calls, I'm not sure why you have not gotten any more calls but I can tell you this - Global Tel Link (the company that services all ADOC facilities) has monetary limits on calls - if you set up a prepaid account with Global Tel Link, you should be able to find out what your balance is. If you have prepaid through them I don't think they will block you as long as there is money on your account, but otherwise if you're being billed for those calls through your local phone service, you can be subject to their limits (usually no more than $50 in 24 hours, no more than $300 in 30 days, things like that).

Also I note your user info says you are in New Jersey. Out of state collect calls from the Alabama prisons are very expensive - $22 + tax in most cases. If you are set up with Global Tel Link prepaid and are not using one of the discount call companies as well, then you can easily go through $50 in just a little over two calls.

Using a company like Prison Calls Online can lower your cost and you would be able to take more calls - they set up a local number to the prison, so you would be paying in-state collect charges instead of out of state to Global Tel Link, plus a fee per call to the discount company like Prison Calls Online or any of the others. You can't use it to REPLACE Global Tel Link - you have to pay GTL no matter what - but it can bring the cost of your calls down to around $6-9 per call (X amount to GTL and X amount to the discount company per call) instead of having to pay GTL $22+ per call.

So something along those lines, anyway, is why I'm guessing you may not have gotten any calls in a few days. If you're not using one of the discount companies, for her to call out of state collect every day would be over $154 per week - and unless you are keeping lots of balance on GTL's prepaid, then you could easily be going over GTL's $ limits on calls.

Thank you. I will look into prison calls online. Is it OK if we just have a cell phone number? By the way, she called me a couple of times since the first call, nothing seriously wrong. She has told me some stories already that are disturbing and her visitor list has been approved. We plan to see her the next visiting day, which seems to be every two weeks now. She confirmed that they have to get up before 3:00 AM for breakfast at 3:30 and then just sit around all day. She has not been sent to any classes for her GED, for cosmetology, nothing, and she says that the medical care and psychiatric counseling is a joke. So much for getting rehabilitated.

I use Globeltel. It works pretty good. I also only use cell phones, $50.00 on globeltel usually last about a week talking 10 minutes every other day. My GF just got transferred to Dorm F. She said there are like 200 and something women in that dorm. She has not been able to call much either. I hope they are getting some type of rehibilitation. She is getting out in March, I hope she is ready. I have not got visit yet either, they are pretty slow.

Good luck with that. I was told today that there is not much going on with GED classes or cosmetology classes. I guess they just sit around all day. I was upset to hear that they have to get up at 3 AM for inspection and breakfast at 3:30. She should have joined the Army. I hope to see her right after Christmas. She and I are both looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the Global Tel calls are $22 for 15 minutes because of the distance between me and her. I am going to check out Prison Calls online. Do you know if it works with cell phones, too? I just checked out their website and it doesn't say, but the general information sounds pretty good and the cost will definitely be cheaper. I was told that F is general population and she is in with murderers and some real tough inmates. Doesn't sound like the drug rehabilitation and psychiatric help she is supposed to be getting. We have had pretty good luck with mail delivery, it doesn't seem to be held up and money I put in her account gets to her fast, but the cost of things at the store is ridiculous. I wonder who is making the profit on that. She says the food is horrible, so they have to buy extra food from the store.

Yes, Prison Calls Online can set up for your cell phone; in fact, at one time that was the only way people could get calls to a cell phone.

It is especially helpful for those who are out of state from Alabama. Not always so much for those who are in-state.

There will be a setup fee and a monthly fee of about $20-ish, but that's a low price to pay for bringing your call charges from $22+ to usually down around $5-6 (usually around $3 paid to Global Tel and $2.50-3 to PCO per call).

Good luck!

And yes, unfortunately psychiatric and medical care in Alabama is pretty much a joke. And she is being truthful about the food - other than Kilby, which is famous for having a little better food than most facilities - food in ADOC is horrible and much of it is served out of boxes labeled "unfit for human consumption".

The cost of store items have unfortunately been increasing right along with the cost of our grocery and other items out here, with the economy troubles this year.

And yes, unfortunately psychiatric and medical care in Alabama is pretty much a joke.

YEP!!!

And she is being truthful about the food - other than Kilby, which is famous for having a little better food than most facilities - food in ADOC is horrible and much of it is served out of boxes labeled "unfit for human consumption".

I like that "boxes labeled unfit for human consumption"
Kilby has much better medical care & food that the prisons they send the prisoners to. I think they must be held to a higher standard than the rest, since they are the "processing center".

Kilby has much better medical care & food that the prisons they send the prisoners to. I think they must be held to a higher standard than the rest, since they are the "processing center".

My guy and I actually have a theory about that, at least about the food and that may be true about the medical/mental health too - we think, with the food anyway, the proximity to Montgomery keeps the kitchen well stocked in spices and other stuff for the kitchen that the other facilities just don't get.

I'm gonna guess that they just have better access to state health professionals in mental and medical since it's there by the state capital.

However - that doesn't really explain why Elmore, Tutwiler, Draper, etc. don't have better stuff than they do at those facilities, since none of those are all THAT far from Montgomery either. But Kilby is more convenient, I suppose.