How to Contact an Inmate at Facility
Phone contact at Bledsoe Corrections Facility is mostly one-way: you can't call in. The inmate can only call out to numbers on their approved list.
At Bledsoe Corrections Facility, expect the inmate to call you. The Tennessee Department of Correction does not allow inbound phone calls to inmates. The one exception is a family emergency, where the facility chaplain can be contacted and may arrange a call if the situation warrants it. It also helps to understand why calls sometimes don't go through. Inmates can have up to ten telephone numbers on their approved list, and the phone system only connects to those registered numbers. If your number isn't on that list (or the wrong number is listed), the call will be blocked.
Note: In a true family emergency, contact the facility chaplain. The chaplain may be able to arrange a call, but confirm the exact emergency procedure with the facility beforehand.
Reminder: Calls only connect to registered numbers on the inmate's approved list (up to ten). If you recently changed your phone number, it has to be added to the list before calls will go through.
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- ✓ Confirm with the inmate that your phone number is on their approved telephone list (and that it is one of the up-to-ten allowed numbers).
- ✓ If your number is not listed or needs to be updated, the inmate must initiate changes through their unit team at the facility.
- ✓ If you have multiple numbers (cell and landline, for example), be clear about which number the inmate should add, since the system only permits calls to registered numbers.
- ✓ If you want your number removed from an inmate’s approved telephone list, submit a written request to the facility warden or superintendent.
- ✓ Include enough detail for staff to identify the inmate and the exact phone number you want removed.
Before you count on phone contact, verify a few details directly with the facility so you're not scrambling during an urgent situation. Confirm that inbound calls aren't permitted, ask what qualifies as a "family emergency," and find out exactly how the chaplain-facilitated emergency call process works. Also ask how telephone-list updates are handled: what the inmate needs to do with their unit team to add or change a number, and how long updates typically take. If you want to be removed from an approved list, confirm where and how the facility wants the written request submitted to the warden or superintendent, and what identifying information they need to process it.
Tip: Confirm the current limit on approved phone numbers (reported as up to ten) and ask how the facility tracks updates to an inmate's list, so you'll know when a change has actually gone through.
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