Managing Phone Costs and Blocking Calls from Shelby County Jail: NCIC Accounts, Rates, and Kiosk Deposits
Phone calls from jail add up quickly, and figuring out who to contact when problems arise isn't always straightforward. Here's how phone service works at Shelby County Jail—including NCIC prepaid accounts, published sample rates, and how to block unwanted calls.
Shelby County Jail uses an outside phone provider called NCIC Inmate Communications. The jail also points families to NCIC’s website for additional information about the service and prepaid accounts.
Inmates make outgoing calls from phones in their housing units. They can't receive incoming calls - so calling the jail to reach them won't work. You'll need to wait for them to call you. Phone access is generally available during daytime hours, except during meals. Each housing unit may have its own rules about phone locations, hours, and call length, so expect some day-to-day variation.
Note: All calls are recorded, except conversations with an attorney. TTY (Text Telephone) service for the hearing impaired is available on request. Visits - other than privileged attorney visits - are also recorded and monitored.
NCIC prepaid accounts come in two flavors: one tied to a specific inmate, and one tied to specific phone numbers. With a phone-number account, you can designate up to 10 numbers that inmates can call using your funded balance - as long as those numbers aren't blocked. An inmate prepaid account works differently: it lets the inmate call any unblocked number. If you want tighter control over which numbers can be called, the phone-number option is usually the cleaner choice.
- ✓ No non-typical collect calls
- ✓ No 3-way calls
- ✓ No unwanted calls
Shelby County Jail publishes sample NCIC rates: a $0.25 connection fee plus $0.21 per minute for local collect calls. Inmate voicemail runs $1.50 for a three-minute message.
- Listen to the prompts when the call comes in - the system will walk you through your options.
- Accept the call - choose this if you want to take the call.
- Hang up - end the call if you don’t want to talk.
- Block calls from that inmate - use the phone prompts to stop calls from the specific inmate who is calling.
- Block all calls from Shelby County Jail inmates - use the phone prompts if you want to stop all inmate calls from the jail.
Need help with accounts or blocking? Shelby County Jail does not administer the NCIC phone system. Contact NCIC Customer Service at 800-943-2189 or info@ncic.com for prepaid account questions, service issues, or phone-number blocking problems.
Inmates can also cover phone costs themselves by purchasing prepaid phone time through the jail commissary. The funds come from their inmate account. If you're adding money for both commissary items and calls, this is one way they can keep the calls going.
Not sure how to buy phone time? Instructions are posted on the commissary kiosks in the housing areas. Your loved one can follow the on-screen steps to complete the purchase.
Lobby Kiosk and Fees
- ✓ $1 bills
- ✓ $5 bills
- ✓ $10 bills
- ✓ $20 bills
- ✓ $50 bills
- ✓ $100 bills
Fee heads-up: Each cash deposit at the Lobby Kiosk costs $3 in transaction fees. Bring enough to cover both your deposit and the fee.
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