The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) allows outside parties to receive calls from incarcerated individuals through the Inmate Telephone System (OTS). But only eligible people will be approved to make a phone call.
In order to receive a call from inmates, friends or family members must first pay for calls. Since the telephone system at TDCJ utilizes a third party, you can do it through Securus Correctional Billing Services (SCBS).
If you need the guide to add money to TDCJ telephone systems, you can find it here. Let’s check it out!
What is Texas’s Inmate Telephone System (ITS)?
TDCJ has contracted with Preferred Communications of Texas to provide the telephone system, called the Inmate Telephone System (ITS).
It is a telephone service system for TDJC inmates where they are allowed to make telephone calls to registered families, friends, or those who are on their approved calling list.
Not all prisoners can use ITS; only those who are eligible. Inmates who are affiliated with a gang, have serious disciplinary problems, or are on death row are not permitted to use this service.
Why Should You Register Before Adding Money to Texas’s ITS?
Before adding funds to an inmate’s phone account, you must first register your phone number to receive calls from an inmate.
However, TDCJ has committed to providing safety and protection to both the prison’s community and people outside. That’s why a validation process is required for anyone who wants to receive calls from TDCJ inmates.
To register your phone number at Texas’s ITS, you’ll need to notice the following:
- Your name for registration must match on your driver’s license.
- You must be at least 18 years old.
- You are the registered phone owner who will receive calls from any inmates you register with.
- Your photo or photocopy of your out-of-state driver’s license will be required if you don’t have a Texas driver’s license or state ID.
- You shouldn’t make 3-way calls, use a speakerphone on calls you receive from any inmate you’ve registered with, or forward calls to anyone.
When you can receive a call from an inmate after registration depends on when you’re registered. Usually, it takes 3 days after TDCJ receives your registration and you meet the conditions.
How to Register Your Phone Number at Texas’s ITS
You can register your phone number at Texas Prison Phone at texasprisonphone.com/#registration.
Here are the steps you should follow:
First, you should agree to the rules of Texas’s ITS. And check all of the boxes to continue.
Second, you have to enter the inmate’s TDCJ number. This is a unique 8-digit number that TDCJ gave to each inmate.
If you don’t know the inmate’s number, you can start looking for it using the TDCJ Inmate Search tool here. https://inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/start.action
Then, type the inmate’s first and last name. Then, start searching. After finding one, you can see their number. Copy and paste it on the available bar for registration. Then, you should enter the phone number you’d like to register.
Third, you should provide your contact information that matches on your driver’s license.
After filling out all of the forms, you’ll be taken to the Securus website to create an account, so you can start adding funds to your Texas prison phone.
To know the status of your enrollment, you can check the email you’ve registered with to identify whether or not you’re enrolled.
Adding Money to Texas’s Inmate Telephone System: Here’s How!
After registering your phone number at Texas’s ITS and creating your account at Securus, you can now add funds to an inmate’s phone account.
To pay for calls that you receive from an TDCJ inmate, you can take one of the two following options:
Option 1: Add funds to a prepaid AdvanceConnect account
This is a prepaid call where the registered phone owner has to pay in advance to receive calls from the inmate. You must create your AdvanceConnect prepaid calling account at https://securustech.online/#/enroll.
On the page, you’ll have to create an email and password, select security questions, and provide your contact information.
Now, you can start adding funds to your prepaid AdvanceConnect account and begin receiving calls.
Option 2: Add funds to an inmate’s phone account
In addition to adding funds to your phone account, you can also add money to the inmate’s Securus Debit account, and you should not be on the Inmate Visitor List.
If you deposit funds into the inmate’s Securus Debit account, you will not request a refund. Since the funds are placed on the inmate’s account, the inmate can use them for any Securus service, not just making a phone call.
To add funds to an inmate’s Securus Debit account, you can do it here. https://securustech.online/#/products/securus-debit/find
Sure, you have to find an inmate, either.
- Search by name: If you search by name, you must know the inmate’s full name, the state, and the facility where they’re housed.
- Search by ID: If you search by the inmate’s ID, you must know their ID correctly and then choose the state.
After finding the inmate you’d like, you can start adding funds to their account.
Rules of the Texas Inmate Telephone System
Before receiving calls from an inmate via Texas ITS, you actually have to know the rules of using this system.
Let’s take a look at the Texas ITS rules!
- Phone calls can be made from 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., unless there’s a certain condition.
- No more than 30 minutes per call session.
- Inmates have unlimited minutes per month.
- Inmates are not allowed to speak to any adults who are not in their approved list.
- All calls are subject to monitoring, recording, and voice recognition to complete a call, unless called to the Attorney of Record.
- Calls to 800 numbers, international numbers, pay phones, or virtual numbers like Lingo are not allowed.
- Calls are only allowed to landline phone numbers or cell phones within the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii.
What If You Get a Billing Issue with Securus?
If you accidentally get trouble with Securus regarding your billing, you can take one of the following ways:
- By email: You can submit a question and describe the issue you experienced here. https://securushelp.com/submit-a-question/
- By phone: You can call Securus representatives at 972-734-1111 or 800-844-6591.
You’ll also have to call Securus Customer Support at 1-800-844-6591 if you want to:
- Update or correct your billing information.
- Get a refund on your prepaid account.
- Find fraudulent activity on your account.
- Block and unblock calls.
- Figure out the causes of telephone calls being disconnected prematurely.
If you prefer to report a problem in writing when working with Securus, you can send a message to TDCJ in the following manner:
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Information Technology Division
Inmate Telephone System Contract Manager
P.O. Box 4016
Huntsville, TX 77342-4016
E-mail:offenderphones@tdcj.texas.gov
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