Understanding Phone Calls from Middle River: Debit vs. Collect (and What to Do If Your Number Is Blocked)

Middle River Regional Jail offers two call types: debit and collect. With debit calls, your loved one pays from their phone account balance - which can only be funded through their commissary. No commissary funds? No debit calls. Collect calls flip the arrangement. You set up a payment plan to accept charges on your end. If you want to handle phone costs directly (or your loved one's commissary is running low), collect is usually the way to go.

Want to keep debit calls going? Add funds to your loved one's trust account through the Access Corrections website. Once money hits the trust account, it can cover telephone costs.

Prefer to handle deposits by phone? Call Access Corrections at (866) 345-1884 to speak with a bilingual agent about trust and telephone deposits. This works well if you want someone to walk you through the process or help troubleshoot a payment issue.

SmartInmate offers another option: "public user" funding that lets you pay for calls from your side. Middle River allows public users to make PPC or PIN debit account deposits through SmartInmate's Customer Care Center at 888-843-1972. This route keeps communication steady without relying on your loved one's commissary balance. Not sure whether you need PPC or PIN debit? The live operators can point you to the right option.

• ✓ Deposit by phone using SmartInmate’s IVR (automated system): 888-843-1972
• ✓ Deposit online at: www.SmartInmate.com

1. Decide who will pay for the calls - If your loved one has commissary funds available and wants to pay from their side, debit calls use the balance on their phone account.
2. Use debit when commissary-funded calling makes sense - At Middle River, the inmate’s debit phone account can only be funded from their commissary funds, so this option depends on money being available to them.
3. Choose collect if you need to pay from your side - Collect calls require the receiving party to set up a payment plan to accept charges.
4. Consider SmartInmate deposits for another “you-pay” option - Public users can make PPC or PIN debit deposits through SmartInmate, including by calling 888-843-1972 for live operator help.