The Real Cost of Staying Connected at Montana State Prison: Calls, Messages, and Video

Every inmate at Montana State Prison gets one free phone call per week. After that, calls cost $0.06 per minute - whether from a tablet or a wall phone. Start with that free call as your baseline. Anything beyond it is paid time.

Video visits also come with a weekly freebie: one 10-minute video visit per inmate, no charge. Beyond those 10 minutes, you'll pay $0.25 per minute. Plan around that free window, and only add paid time when you genuinely need it.

Paid phone calls run $0.06 per minute. That rate kicks in after the weekly free call, so your total cost depends on how often you talk and how long each call lasts. Keep a rough count of minutes - "just a few extra calls" can quietly turn into a bigger bill than expected.

Tablet text messages cost $0.25 per message (or per minute). Quick check-ins stay affordable, but rapid back-and-forth adds up. Consider combining several short updates into one longer message when you can.

Photo attachments through tablet messaging cost $0.25 per photo (or per minute). If you share pictures often, pick the ones that matter most so you're not paying for extras.

Video messages - the kind you send and watch later - cost $0.35 per minute. That's separate from live video visits, which have their own free 10-minute weekly window and a lower $0.25/min rate after. Think of video messages as asynchronous updates at $0.35/min, and live visits as real-time face time (free for 10 minutes, then $0.25/min).

Here's a practical detail: inmates must initiate video visits themselves by connecting their tablets to docking stations in their housing units. Online scheduling is no longer available. So even if you've budgeted for the free 10 minutes (or extra paid time), the actual timing depends on your loved one getting to a docking station.

1. Estimate a paid phone call - After the one free weekly call, a 15-minute paid call at $0.06/min costs $0.90.
2. Estimate extra live video time - After the free 10-minute weekly video visit, an additional 10 minutes of live video at $0.25/min costs $2.50.
3. Estimate basic messaging - Five text messages at $0.25 each costs $1.25 (and video messages are higher, at $0.35 per minute).

• ✓ Use the one free weekly phone call first, then decide which calls are worth paying for at $0.06/min.
• ✓ Build your live video plans around the free weekly 10-minute video visit, and only add paid minutes ($0.25/min) when you know you’ll need them.
• ✓ If you’re paying for time, keep a rough weekly total of minutes so costs don’t creep up unnoticed.
• ✓ For live video, remember your loved one has to initiate the visit from a docking station in their unit - pick times when they’re most likely to have access.

Questions about tablet services - messaging, photos, or video messages? Contact GettingOut support at 1-866-516-0115.

For policy questions about phone and video visitation - like the weekly free allowances and per-minute rates - check the DOC's "Staying Connected" page. That's where you'll find the official rates: one free weekly phone call with $0.06/min after, and one free 10-minute weekly video visit with $0.25/min after.