Why Your Number Isn't Working Yet: Understanding the 15-Number Call List Limit at Nottoway

At Nottoway, each incarcerated person can keep up to 15 approved phone numbers on their call list. That cap covers every number they want to call - and it fills up faster than you'd expect, especially if old numbers were never removed. If their list is full (or close to it), your number may not actually make it onto the approved list in a way that allows calls to connect.

Phone calls through the Virginia Department of Corrections go through ConnectNetwork by Global Tel*Link. When you're troubleshooting "why isn't this working?" moments, you're usually hitting a system rule - like list limits or consent requirements - not something you can fix by changing your phone settings.

Cell phones aren’t treated as a special category here. Cellular and other wireless numbers can be added to the call list and managed the same way as landlines, so having a mobile number by itself shouldn’t be the reason you can’t receive the call.

The most common reason a newly added number "isn't working yet"? It's not active until you - the phone subscriber - give consent through an automated process. Your loved one entering your number isn't enough. Someone on your end has to approve that number for inmate calls. This approval can take several days, so even when everything is done correctly, expect a delay before calls start connecting.

1. Confirm you’re authorized for the number - you’ll be asked whether you’re the person who can make decisions for that telephone number.
2. State your name - the automated system prompts you to say your name.
3. Acknowledge monitoring and recording - you’ll be asked if you understand calls are monitored and recorded (with an exception for attorney calls that have approved recording blocks).

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• ✓ Answer the automated consent call and complete the prompts so your number can become active.
• ✓ Confirm you’re authorized to make decisions for that phone number when the system asks.
• ✓ State your name when prompted.
• ✓ Agree that you understand calls are monitored and recorded (with the attorney-call exception referenced in the prompt).

• ✓ Have your loved one confirm their call list has room under the 15-number limit; if it’s full, they’ll need to remove an old/unused number before adding a new one.

If the bigger issue is that you don't want calls at all - or only at certain times - you can deny any collect or debit call from an inmate. This gives you control on your end without having to manage the call list.

Even when everything is set up correctly, calls won't last forever. Unless the Director specifically authorizes otherwise, inmate phone calls are limited to 20 minutes. A call ending right at that mark is normal.