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Attorney Calls from Red Onion: How Recording Blocks Work

Prison calls can be confusing—especially when legal privacy is on the line. At Red Onion State Prison, attorney calls work differently from regular inmate calls thanks to something called a "recording block."

• 3 min read • vadoc.virginia.gov
Attorney Calls from Red Onion: How Recording Blocks Work

A recording block is an electronic setting that stops a call from being monitored or recorded when it goes to a verified attorney phone number. The system treats verified attorney numbers differently, so legal calls aren't handled like routine personal calls.

Red Onion's inmate phone system runs through ConnectNetwork by Global Tel*Link. This system applies the usual security measures to calls - and it's also where verified attorney calls can be protected with a recording block.

Attorney Calls from Red Onion: How Recording Blocks Work
  1. Make sure the attorney number is verified - the recording block only applies to a verified attorney telephone number.
  2. Request the recording block ahead of time - the inmate has to ask in advance for the recording block to be placed for calls to that verified attorney number.
  3. Place the call after the block is in place - once the request is handled, the call to that verified attorney number can be made without monitoring/recording.

A few system rules can affect how smoothly this works. Inmates are automatically enrolled in the DOC telephone system when they arrive in DOC custody, so that's the standard way calls get placed. Each inmate maintains an approved call list capped at 15 numbers - so keeping an attorney's number on that list matters. Calls are also limited to 20 minutes, which shapes how an inmate and attorney need to plan their conversations.

Families Attorneys

  • ✓ Attorney calls are only treated as private when the call is to a properly verified attorney telephone number.
  • ✓ The inmate has to request the recording block in advance; it isn’t automatic.
  • ✓ Calls that aren’t to verified attorney numbers are recorded and monitored.

If you're helping coordinate legal calls, remember that Red Onion follows VADOC telephone procedures. These rules apply to VADOC facilities only. If someone is under VADOC responsibility but housed in a local jail, that jail's rules control phone calls and legal access.

Administrative phones generally aren't for routine inmate use, but staff may allow them in limited situations. These can include calls related to a death in an inmate's immediate family (when the regular phone system isn't feasible), calls to participate in an approved marriage ceremony, or attorney calls handled according to VADOC legal access procedures.

  1. Start with the facility’s legal-access process - attorney calls can involve specific legal access procedures, so confirm what Red Onion requires for verified numbers and recording blocks.
  2. Use VADOC procedures as your baseline - Red Onion follows VADOC telephone procedures, and those procedures apply to VADOC facilities (local jails may do things differently).
  3. Keep the phone platform in mind - calls run through ConnectNetwork by Global Tel*Link, so any recording-block setup is happening within that system.

Tip: The approved call list is limited to 15 numbers, and calls are capped at 20 minutes. Build those limits into how you plan and schedule attorney communications.

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