TELEPHONE CALLS

The Department’s "Call-Home" program allows offenders to make phone calls as a way to maintain contact with family and friends. The offender may only call you collect. This means you will have to pay for the call.

An offender is only permitted to call persons on their approved telephone list and may only have up to 15 telephone numbers on their approved list at any time. Phone numbers may only be added or deleted at the request of the offender. This is generally done on a quarterly basis when the offender meets with his or her assigned Offender Rehabilitation Coordinator. If, however, you do not wish to receive telephone calls from an offender, you need to notify the facility, in writing, and your name will be entered on the offender’s Negative Correspondence and Telephone List. The offender will be immediately notified in writing that you have been removed from his/her "Telephone List" and that disciplinary action may be taken if the telephone is used in any manner to contact you. In addition, your telephone number will be removed from the telephone system.

According to the type of facility, offenders are generally permitted to make phone calls every day, including holidays, between the hours of 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. A schedule for phone calls will be established. Calls will automatically be terminated when the facility specific time limit has been reached, preceded by a warning. No call shall exceed 30 minutes. When other offenders are waiting to place calls, a 10 minute limit may be imposed.

PROHIBITED CALLS: The following rules are some of the restrictions you should be aware of regarding calls made by offenders:

Offenders are prohibited from placing telephone calls to the following (unless the individual called is a member of the offender’s immediate family, e.g. spouse, child, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, aunt, or uncle):

A. Present or former employees of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and their families;

B. Present or former employees of the Division of Parole and their families;

C. Present or former employees of Federal, State, and local criminal justice agencies, including, but not limited to, police agencies, district attorneys, Federal and local correctional agencies, Probation departments and the families of such employees;

D. Jurors involved in the conviction of the offender, and their families;

E. Judges involved in the conviction or indictment of the offender, and their families; and

F. Crime partners who are not incarcerated.

No offender may place a telephone call to the residence of a victim of the crime(s) for which he / she has been convicted, or is presently under indictment, regardless of whether immediate family members maintain the same residence, unless prior written authorization has been received from the Superintendent.

No offender may call the phone number of any person listed on a court Order of Protection which prohibits telephone communication; unless the order specifically states that the offender is not prohibited from communication by phone with another person at that same phone number.

Offenders are prohibited from making telephone calls for the purpose of harassing or intimidating any person. Staff and offenders are advised that such telephone calls may violate Federal and/or State laws. Facility Superintendents shall report serious and/or continuing telephone calls of this nature to the proper law enforcement authorities.

Offender telephone calls and telephone conversations are restricted to the telephone number dialed or otherwise placed by or for the offender. Telephone call forwarding, third party phone calls, and calls to 1-800 numbers are prohibited. Offenders are also prohibited from placing calls to wireless communication devices (i.e., cellular or PCS phone, pagers, etc.). Offenders will be subject to disciplinary action should they violate these rules.

PLEASE NOTE: All offender telephone conversations are subject to electronic monitoring and/or recording by Department personnel.