How to Contact an Inmate at Facility
Phone calls are the primary way to stay in touch with someone at FCI Coleman Low, but they come with strict rules and time limits. Here's what to expect and what to double-check before you count on a specific setup.
FCI Coleman Low provides telephone privileges so inmates can stay connected with family and community contacts, though the facility can limit or place conditions on that access. Personal calls go through the institution's Inmate Telephone System (ITS), and the inmate typically pays for the call. In some cases the receiving party pays instead. The exact payment setup depends on the type of call arrangement the facility allows for that person and number.
Third-party and alternative call arrangements are not allowed. That includes any setup where a call gets transferred to another person or account. Toll-free and credit-card access numbers are also off-limits for inmate calls, including prefixes like 1-800, 1-888, 1-877, 1-866, 1-900, and 1-976. If you want to stay reachable, use a regular direct number that doesn't route or forward calls.
Assume all calls are monitored. A notice is posted next to each inmate telephone confirming this, so don't treat conversations as private. Attorney calls are the exception: unmonitored calls to attorneys are permitted in certain circumstances. If you need to set up a legal call, confirm the required process with the facility so the call is properly handled as privileged communication when it qualifies.
Steps
- ✓ Plan for calls to go through the Inmate Telephone System (ITS). Personal calls must be placed through ITS.
- ✓ Do not use call forwarding (including automatic electronic forwarding) or any similar function to route the call.
- ✓ Expect limits on phone privileges. The facility can impose conditions or restrictions.
- ✓ Budget for the cost. Ordinarily the inmate pays, though in some cases the receiving party pays.
- ✓ Keep conversations efficient. The maximum call length is ordinarily limited (commonly 15 minutes), and other time or usage limits may apply.
- ✓ Avoid prohibited number types. Toll-free numbers and credit-card access numbers are not authorized.
- ✓ Do not try to patch in another person or account. Third-party or alternative call arrangements are not permitted.
Note: Unmonitored attorney calls are allowed in certain circumstances. Verify the facility's procedure ahead of time so the call is properly set up and treated as privileged.
- Confirm current phone privilege limits: Ask what limitations or conditions currently apply to inmate telephone privileges.
- Ask how legal calls are approved: Confirm what circumstances qualify for unmonitored attorney calls and what steps are required to request one.
- Verify the exact time and usage limits: Confirm the maximum call length (ordinarily 15 minutes) and any limits like required wait time between calls, caps on attempts, or monthly minute limits.
- Double-check what call setups are blocked: Confirm that third-party or alternative call arrangements are not permitted and how strictly the facility enforces that.
- Confirm which numbers are not allowed: Verify that toll-free and credit-card access numbers are blocked and whether there are other restricted number types.
Tip: All personal calls go through ITS, so confirm the local process for getting set up. That means finding out how phone numbers get approved and what payment options are available.
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