Question 1

Can I do a video visit with my loved one from home?

Accepted Answer

Yes, remote video visits are available through an approved video visiting app or from a personal computer, while your loved one connects from a tablet or a kiosk at the facility. NCDAC notes video visits can be on-demand or scheduled, and they are limited to people on the incarcerated person’s approved visitors list.

Question 2

How should I address mail so it reaches the tablet system and is not returned?

Accepted Answer

Use the TextBehind format: incarcerated person’s name and OPUS number, full prison name (do not abbreviate), then P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. If you do not follow the addressing format, it will be returned, and TextBehind also requires your return address to include your full first and last name (not initials).

Question 3

Can I ship books or care packages directly to the prison?

Accepted Answer

For NCDAC, publishers and vendors should not ship through TextBehind because those packages will be returned, they should use the prison’s street address for shipping instead. For care packages, a common statewide option is Union Supply Direct, which advertises pre-approved packages for North Carolina prisons. If your loved one is in a federal facility, federal guidance says packages from home generally require prior written approval.

Question 4

Who can put money into an inmate's trust/commissary account?

Accepted Answer

In NCDAC prisons, depositors into trust fund accounts are restricted to people listed as approved visitors for that offender. NCDAC describes multiple ways to send money through its ViaPath partnership, and for money orders the payee is TouchPay.

Question 5

What fees should I expect when using tablets or phone services?

Accepted Answer

NCDAC lists processing-related service fees that include $3.00 per use for automated payment, $5.94 per use for payments made with a live operator, and $2.00 per use for a paper bill or statement. For the full, current breakdown (including money transfer fees by method and amount), check NCDAC’s posted fee information.

Question 6

How many visitors can an offender have on their approved list?

Accepted Answer

NCDAC states a maximum of 18 visitor applications are allowed per offender (and the offender may have up to 18 approved visitors). Even if you’re on the approved list, visits are still allowed at the discretion of prison managers at the facility.

Question 7

What if I need a facility's phone number or street address to call or send something?

Accepted Answer

Use the facility’s official listing for its street (or mailing) address and its main phone line, then save both before you send anything or travel. For example, Western Correctional Center for Women lists 55 Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain, NC 28711 and 828-259-6000. County detention centers also publish physical addresses, for example Clay County Detention Center lists 345 Courthouse Drive, Suite 1, Hayesville, NC 28904.

Question 8

Are electronic messages and mail monitored or screened?

Accepted Answer

For NCDAC prisons, non-legal mail is screened and scanned by TextBehind and then delivered electronically to tablets. Electronic messaging rules can also include monitoring and screening, for example the federal TRULINCS system states that messages are screened and that inmates and contacts must consent to monitoring (and it is text-only with no attachments).

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