How to Set Up Video Visits at Montana State Prison (and What to Do When They're Unavailable)

Video visits at Montana State Prison run through the tablet issued to your loved one. The same tablet handles messaging, phone calls, and video visitation - but to start a live video visit, the inmate needs to connect their tablet to a docking station in their unit. One thing to know upfront: online scheduling for video visits is no longer available. You won't be picking a time slot from the outside. Each inmate does get one free 10-minute video visit every week, which helps when you're planning around budgets and timing.

1. Connect the tablet to a unit docking station - Video visits are started from inside the prison, and the tablet has to be docked at a station in the inmate’s unit.
2. Send the invitation from the tablet - Your loved one initiates the visit by sending an email invitation to you (or another approved contact).

Timing matters on your end: wait for the email invitation before setting anything up. Montana DOC's process is inmate-initiated, so you should only create your GettingOut account after that invitation arrives. If you jump ahead and create an account first, you might end up stuck or set up incorrectly for the invite flow.

• ✓ Use an email address you can access right away, since the inmate’s invitation is sent by email
• ✓ Open the invitation email and follow the prompts to create your GettingOut account after you receive it
• ✓ If the invitation link, login, or connection process isn’t working, contact GettingOut customer support at 1-866-516-0115
• ✓ If you prefer online help, use GettingOut support at www.GettingOut.com/Help

If a video visit doesn't start, the most common explanation is straightforward: tablet access can be shut off for security reasons, sometimes for hours or even days. Frustrating, yes - but common enough that it's worth building into your expectations. Montana DOC also asks that families not contact the facility to ask whether tablets are on or when they'll be restored. Tablet communication is inmate-initiated through an email invitation.

1. Pause and try again later - If tablets are temporarily offline, the issue may resolve after the security shutdown ends (which can take hours to days).
2. Don’t call the prison to check tablet status - Montana DOC asks families not to contact facilities for information about whether tablets are on or when they’ll be available.
3. Contact the vendor if the invite or connection is the problem - For issues with invitations, account setup, or the service itself, reach GettingOut support at 1-866-516-0115 or www.GettingOut.com/Help.

Every inmate receives one free 10-minute video visit each week. Talk longer than that, or add another call later in the week, and additional time costs 25 cents per minute. Planning around that cutoff helps - especially if you want to save the free minutes for a longer catch-up.

• ✓ Live video visits: one free 10-minute visit per week per inmate; after that, video time costs 25¢ per minute
• ✓ Text messages (tablet): 25¢ per minute or message
• ✓ Video messages (tablet): 35¢ per minute
• ✓ Photo attachments (tablet): 25¢ per minute