How to Contact an Inmate at RRM SAN ANTONIO, AL

If you're planning to visit, approval comes first. You can only visit if the inmate has placed you on their approved visiting list and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has cleared you.

Phone calls are a common way to stay in contact, but they come with rules. The BOP allows inmates telephone privileges, and the cost is ordinarily paid by the inmate (though in some situations the receiving party pays). The institution can also place limitations or conditions on an inmate's phone access.

Written communication can involve two separate systems: electronic messaging and physical mail. Inmates can use the TRULINCS electronic messaging system only if they're approved, and each person the inmate wants to message must give permission to use the system.

Steps to Follow

• ✓ Confirm the inmate has placed you on their approved visiting list.
• ✓ Make sure you have been cleared by the BOP before you travel.
• ✓ Ask whether the facility needs to send any law enforcement or crime information inquiries as part of deciding whether you can be approved.

• ✓ Confirm the inmate is allowed to call you under current institution limitations or conditions.
• ✓ Plan for billing, calls are ordinarily paid by the inmate, but in some cases the receiving party pays.
• ✓ Do not set up third-party or alternative call arrangements, these are not permitted.
• ✓ Assume calls are monitored, a notice is posted by the telephones advising inmates of monitoring.
• ✓ If you are an attorney, ask the facility about unmonitored attorney-call procedures and the circumstances required.

• ✓ Ask the inmate whether they are approved to use TRULINCS electronic messaging.
• ✓ If you will use TRULINCS, make sure you give permission to be contacted through the system.
• ✓ When sending regular mail, expect it to be opened and inspected by staff for contraband and content.
• ✓ If you are sending special incoming mail, follow the facility’s requirements for special-mail marking, it may only be opened in the inmate’s presence and is inspected for physical contraband and proper special-mail qualification.

1. Arrange your transportation - there is no government payment or reimbursement for travel to and from the facility.
2. Call the facility for directions - staff can help with how to get there, including public transportation information when available.
3. Build in extra time - travel delays can turn into missed visits, so plan your arrival around the facility’s visiting policies.

Before you take time off work or book travel, call the facility and confirm the basics: that the inmate has added you to their visiting list and that the BOP has cleared you. If you're still waiting on approval, ask whether the process includes inquiries to law enforcement or crime information agencies, and whether anything else is needed from you to finish clearance.

For phone contact, check what the institution currently allows and how calls are billed in your situation. BOP calls are ordinarily paid by the inmate, but in some cases the receiving party pays. The institution can also impose limitations or conditions on telephone privileges.

If you want to use TRULINCS messaging, confirm two things: the inmate is approved to use the system, and you've given permission to communicate through it. For physical mail, ask the facility about current mailing rules and how they handle special incoming mail. General correspondence is opened and inspected, while special incoming mail is opened only in the inmate's presence and inspected for physical contraband and proper special-mail qualification.

• ✓ Confirm you should not expect any government payment or reimbursement for transportation.
• ✓ Ask the facility for directions and any arrival instructions you need to follow.