What to Expect When You Call: Phone access, monitoring, costs, and disability accommodations at Boyd Co Detention Center

At Boyd Co Detention Center in Kentucky, youth are entitled to phone access for personal calls - both incoming and outgoing. That access isn't unlimited. The facility can restrict phone use based on "orderly operation," but the baseline expectation is clear: phone contact helps maintain family ties and attorney communication.

Here's the practical takeaway: youth should get phone contact with a parent or caregiver at least once per week. The main exception? When the Superintendent decides calls need restricting due to threats to facility order, treatment, or security. If calls suddenly stop or get limited, ask whether there's been a restriction decision - and why.

The facility maintains written procedures (SOPs) covering the basics: when youth can use the phone, where phone access happens, and how staff know which callers are approved. Phone access may be tied to a youth's progress through the facility's level system - but those restrictions don't apply to calls with legal representatives.

Assume regular phone calls at Boyd Co Detention Center may be monitored. What you say could be listened to or recorded, so keep conversations focused on family support and practical updates. The exception: legal calls. Calls to and from the youth's legal representative are not monitored.

Phone costs at Boyd Co Detention Center should be "reasonably priced" - meaning rates and charges comparable to what the general public pays for similar services. You may still see fees and per-minute charges, but pricing shouldn't be wildly out of line with typical rates.

1. Confirm what the facility’s SOPs say about phone access - SOPs should spell out phone hours, locations, and how approved callers are handled; that’s often where you’ll find the practical details behind how calling is set up.
2. Track the charges you’re seeing - save account statements or receipts and write down dates/times of calls so you can point to specific examples.
3. Ask for clarification using your documentation - when you contact the facility, it helps to reference the specific charges and call dates rather than speaking generally.
4. Escalate if needed - because programs must document calls and reasons for denials, having your own records makes it easier to push for a review if pricing seems inconsistent with the “reasonably priced” standard.

If the youth has a hearing or speech disability, Boyd Co Detention Center must provide access to a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) or comparable equipment. Having trouble with calls because of a disability-related barrier? Ask directly about available equipment and how the youth can access it during phone times.

• ✓ Ask the youth’s point of contact (including their juvenile service worker, if applicable) what the facility’s process is for setting up TDD/comparable access.
• ✓ Tell staff what accommodation is needed (hearing disability, speech disability) and that the policy requires access to TDD or comparable equipment.
• ✓ Request the practical details from the facility’s SOPs: phone hours and where the youth goes to use the phone, so the accommodation can be scheduled during real access times.
• ✓ Keep notes on who you spoke with and when, in case you need to follow up.

1. Ask how the approved-caller list works - the facility’s SOPs must include a method for identifying approved callers for each youth.
2. Confirm what information the facility needs from you - because phone access happens within the limits of facility operations, staff may require certain details before a number is treated as “approved.”
3. Verify the basics once you’re added - ask what the normal phone hours are and where phone access happens so you can be ready when calls come through.

• ✓ Confirm the phone hours and phone-access location described in the facility’s SOPs.
• ✓ Ask how staff identify approved callers for your youth, and whether your number is listed correctly.
• ✓ Keep the weekly expectation in mind: youth should be permitted phone contact with a parent or caregiver at least once per week unless restricted for order, treatment, or security.
• ✓ Write down missed calls, denied calls, or long gaps: date, time, who you contacted, and what you were told.
• ✓ Save any billing records or receipts related to calls.

If phone access or pricing keeps causing problems, move beyond informal check-ins. Ask staff to review the facility's SOPs on phone hours, locations, and approved callers. Raise your specific issue - whether it's charges that don't seem "reasonably priced" or repeated access barriers. Since the program must document calls and denials, your own timeline of dates, charges, and conversations gives you concrete evidence when escalating concerns.