Texas Prison Support - A resource for friends and families of inmates in TDCJ
General Category => TDCJ Inmate Telephone System => Topic started by: DreamFae on May 10, 2014, 10:24:43 pm
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Are inmates allowed to call cell phone? I don't have a home phone, i just have my cell.
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As long as you have a contract pre-paid cell phone, and not a pay-as-you-go, that is registered to your home address, you should be able to sign up with the TDCJ inmate phone system to receive calls.
You should not forward your current registered landline to a cell phone to receive inmate calls as this is considered to be "call forwarding" and not permitted by TDCJ.
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I current use Boost, but i have a plan with it, so it's not a pay as you go. I know in the past Boost was always listed as pay as you go, like Tracphone..but they have changed a lot since they merged with Sprint.
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You would need to speak to Securus as they are the company that manages the TDCJ inmate phoe system. They decide whether your current cell phone service is compatible with the registration rules.
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Thank you, i'm going to look into doing that. I don't talk on the phone with my pen pals as of yet, well not legally anyways, but they learn fast to only make that mistake with me once.
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I want to make sure that everyone knows if an inmate gets caught having a cell phone in TDCJ its an automatic 40 years added to their sentence.
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Thank you for the information. I've never spoken with any of my texas friends on the phone. Only one friend in CA had called me on an illegal cell phone.
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Last I heard you don't have to be on visitation list to register your phone. It usually takes about a week to register. The folks at Securus are pretty cool as long as you pay your bill. My only complaint with them was that they have technical gliches all the time!!
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40 years for having a cell phone? Is it written in a law or anywhere? Not that I don't trust you, I really do but I don't think people around me would believe me ! My Gosh ... I used to work in a prison and the only thing you can get for having a cell phone is like 10 days of isolation (max) and a "Don't do it again".
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Yes, there are a couple of documented cases where the inmate was given an additional 40 years on top of the sentence they were currently serving.
The inmates have a separate phone list to their visit list now, and can have 10 people on each (they don't have to be the same people on both lists).
TDCJ inmates cannot legally make calls overseas.
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I am chocked ... Here you can't even have 40 years as a sentence for ... anything because the max is 30 years!
I did know that TDCJ didn't allow overseas calls. It wasn't my plan to try anyway. And now that I know about the 40 years sentence, I will try to dissuade anyone from trying!
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Hello, I am so confused on the phone. When I went to TDJC to sign up for phone service; the site said you had to have a phone service that is not a pay as you go; I have T-Mobile. When I tried to set it up they told me I had to have a land line!
I use Securus when he was in county without a problem. Will he be able to use the Securus line to call out when he can? He is still in intake with no visitation since April 7th now. Getting anxious.
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Hi CharliesMomma
Cell phones are either 'pay-as-you-go' with no contract (basically you have a hone that is yours and you just top up your access regularly), or 'contract' where you pay for the phone and the access usually on a monthly basis to the provider. Most service providers offer both types of access.
The TDCJ phone system requires users to have a contract cell phone, and if they do not, then you would need to have a landline to register. They will not register phones that are pay-as-you-go. You should check with T-Mobile as to exactly which service you have.
County jails operate outside of TDCJ regulations, and have very different rules. Your arrangement with the county jail will not carry forward into the TDCJ system, even if it was with the same phone company.
TDCJ inmates do not have phone access while they are in Intake, usually for the first 90 days in TDCJ. He would also need to record his voice for him to use the TDCJ phone system, and they don't have the ability to do that more than once a month at some units.
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Thank you for the info!
We are locked into a long term contract with T-Mobile so i assumed it was acceptable. I was talking to my husband and we do have a land line, but do not use it! We have it as a bundle with internet! We just need to go buy a phone plug it in; call a cell phone and get the number!
I have not used a land line for years!!!
I will be glad when he is on a Unit, and out of Intake, and seg at that.
I hope you and your loved one are well.
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Great! :) Seg inmates don't get phone calls though, so I'd wait until he reaches his ID unit and you know what his security status is before you invest in a land phone!
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It breaks my heart for him to be in seg facing this all alone; but I check every day to see when visits can start! THANK YOU for the help!
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I have been trying to contact my friend who is in TDCJ. Can anyone tell me after how many days I can get the visitation and how can I transfer money to him. I talked with the officials they said it may take anywhere from 60-90 days for the visitation to start.
Also how can I call my friend during this period? I check the TDCJ inmate search (http://inmatesearchinfo.com/texas-inmate-search-texas-department-of-criminal-justice-tdcj-inmate-locator/) website but his profile does not even show there. Is it normal?
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Hello.
It depends on the intake process for visitation to begin. It it typically 30 days, but I do know it can take longer. My son took 90 days, as did several others. Know of others that took 45-60. Count on 90 and anything you get better, it is a blessing!
You can put money on his books or send him commissary by using the ecomm system. It costs $3.75; cheaper than most other services. Sending a care package is always a nice surprise, too.
https://tdcj-ecommdirect.portal.texas.gov/
They do close at 8:30pm-4am.
Hope that helps!
Cheri
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Hi Mathew
Yes it is normal for inmates to take a while to show up on the TDCJ locator. The intake process can take up to 3 months as you've been told, they have to undergo a number of tests and part of it is getting used to how slow and inefficient TDCJ can be!
You wont be able to call your inmate until you know their TDCJ number. Once you have that, you will need to register your phone with the TDCJ phone service and all the details are here: http://www.tdcj.texas.gov/offender_telephone/index.html (http://www.tdcj.texas.gov/offender_telephone/index.html)