How do virtual landlines work for prisoners in the UK?

A question we get asked a lot is if Prison Call works for prisoners and prisons in the USA calling the UK, and we are pleased to say the answer is yes! With the high costs of traditional  phone services, families and friends often struggle to maintain regular contact especially when they are overseas. We are bridging this gap by providing a low cost-effective and user-friendly service that ensures inmates and their loved ones can stay in touch without breaking the bank.

How does prison call work for USA prisons?

Prison Call works by providing virtual landlines that inmates can use to make calls at significantly reduced rates. Traditional inmate phone services often charge exorbitant fees for calls, especially for long-distance or international numbers. Prison Call helps by offering local virtual numbers that redirect calls to the recipient’s actual phone, whether it’s a landline or mobile device.
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Here’s how it works step by step:
‍Setup a Virtual Landline: You sign up with Prison Call and receive a local U.S. phone number.
Inmate Adds the Number: The inmate adds this number to their approved contact list in the prison phone system.
Call Connection: When the inmate calls the virtual number, it’s routed to your phone, ensuring lower costs for the call.

Prison Call works seamlessly with phone service providers like GTL and Securus, commonly used in U.S. prisons, making it a easy and reliable option in our opinion.

Why Are Prison Calls So Expensive in the USA?

To understand the value of Prison Call, it’s best to understand the problem it solves. Calling from a U.S. prison can cost between $0.21 and $0.25 per minute for interstate calls due to limited competition and high service fees imposed by contracted providers like GTL and Securus Technologies. Additional charges such as connection fees and account maintenance fees can further inflate costs.

For families who rely on frequent communication, these costs can quickly add up, sometimes amounting to hundreds of dollars per month. Prison Call offers a way to bypass these inflated fees by leveraging local call rates, ensuring significant savings.

Is using prison call legal for U.S. prisons?

Yes, it is entirely legal! Prison Call operates within the bounds of U.S. regulations. The service provides local numbers to reduce call costs, which is permitted as long as the inmate’s facility approves the number. Unlike some services that attempt to circumvent prison phone rules, Prison Call is transparent and compliant with all relevant policies.

The bad news......(but it's not that bad)

Unfortunately the bad news is Prison Call is not fully compatible in the USA just yet. While we can offer US to UK calling we can not offer USA to USA calling. Prison Call leverages a virtual landline system optimised for UK telecommunications infrastructure. This system allows UK families to save on call costs when communicating with incarcerated individuals within the UK or when connecting internationally, such as from the US to the UK. For US-to-US calls, the phone systems used by American prisons, such as those operated by providers like GTL or Securus Technologies, have their own technical setups and restrictions. These systems do not typically integrate with external virtual landline services designed outside of their ecosystem, making Prison Call incompatible with purely domestic US communication.

We are on a mission to provide a specialised solution for families navigating the high costs of prison calls within the UK and USA. Its infrastructure and pricing models are optimized for this purpose, ensuring seamless service for its core audience. Extending compatibility to US-to-US calls would require significant infrastructure changes and regulatory compliance efforts, which fall outside the scope of its current offerings. By maintaining a focus on UK-related connections, Prison Call ensures reliability and affordability for its users.

If you’re looking for cost-effective options for US-to-US prison calls, it may be better to explore services designed specifically for that territory. Providers like GTL and Securus often offer prepaid plans that reduce costs, and advocacy organizations frequently campaign for further reforms to lower rates domestically.

Regulatory restrictions

The US prison communication system is highly regulated and varies by state, making it complex for services like Prison Call to ensure compatibility across different jurisdictions. Each state has contracts with specific telecom providers, which impose strict controls over approved call methods and numbers. These providers often restrict third-party virtual numbers to maintain exclusivity and control over revenue, further limiting the ability for services like Prison Call to operate within the US domestic prison network.

The future of affordable prison calls

Emerging technologies continue to drive down the cost of prison communication. Innovations in AI, enhanced security protocols, and integrated communication systems promise even more affordable virtual landline solutions for prisoners and their families.

Prison Call has helped thousands of families dealing with the high costs of staying in touch with incarcerated loved ones. Its affordability, ease of use, and compatibility with U.S. prison phone systems make it a reliable solution for anyone seeking to save money on prison calls. By offering local virtual numbers and transparent pricing, we ensure you can focus on what matters most—staying connected.