CDCR Inmate Telephone Information

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Notice: New phone rates effective January 1, 2020. For information click here.

Inmate Telephone Service Information

For almost 20 years, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has been receiving inmate/ward telephone services from GTL, resulting in quality communication and enhanced deposit services.
  • PREPAID COLLECT: GTL’s prepaid collect option, AdvancePay®, allows a friend or family member to set up a calling account to his or her phone number without the restrictions of standard billing. Every time calls are made and accepted to a prepaid number, the charges are deducted from the account. Prepaid accounts can be set up for all types of numbers, including cell phones. Friends and family should visit ConnectNetwork.com or call 866.607.6006 to set up an AdvancePay account today.Note that if an account remains inactive for a period of one-hundred and eighty (180) days from first notification of inactivity, GTL will close the account.
  • Collect: Calls to certain approved numbers and the call charges will remain the same as they do today on your monthly phone bill. However, note that collect calls cannot be made to cell phones, office phones, VOIP provided service phones, or hospital numbers. Collect calls are dependent on your phone provider’s acceptance of collect calls.
For Customer Service Inquiries, please contact 1-866-607-6006. GTL places a high priority on customer satisfaction. If a customer feels that their issue is not resolved according to existing policy and regulations, they can request a supervisor. Furthermore, GTL maintains an entire escalations team that is solely dedicated to issues that require, for example, additional research – ensuring that the escalation is handled as quickly as possible. Additional contact information for our customer service team can be found by visiting our online billing support center. For international customers, please visit our AdvancePay International section for additional information on setting up your account.
How can I have an inmate call me or how do I receive calls from an inmate?

There are several ways to receive calls from inmates, including collect and prepaid collect. Collect calls are billed to the called party every month through their phone carrier company.
If you receive a high number of collect calls, you may have reached the billing limit allowed by your local phone company. Once you reach a maximum phone bill amount, you may be at a risk of being blocked from receiving future collect calls from an inmate. In such instances, you can call GTL at 866.607.6006 to sign up for a prepaid calling account and begin receiving calls again. In addition, online account registration and deposits are available through ConnectNetwork.com.

You can sign up for a prepaid calling account today if you experience any of the following:

  • You have a collect call restriction by your local phone provider
  • You have exceeded the collect call limit
  • You are unable to receive inmate calls on your cell phone, office phone, hospital phone or other commercial phone numbers
  • Your local telephone company does not bill for inmate collect calls
  • Your phone number is blocked from receiving inmate collect calls
  • You have a high collect call bill and want to manage your calling budget

Please note in order to receive calls to cell phones, inmates must call either prepaid collect or use their inmate debit calling account.

How can I block calls from an inmate?

There are multiple ways to block calls from inmates as needed. Any incoming call can be refused at any time by hanging up. The call will be disconnected and the inmate will be informed their call was not accepted.
Any incoming call can be blocked permanently from a correctional facility by pressing “7” when prompted.
You can also call the GTL customer service department at 866-607-6006 and they will be able to help block future calls from a facility.

How can I remove a block from calls from an inmate?

You can remove a block on your telephone number by calling the GTL customer service department at 866-607-6006.

Please note there are other reasons why your phone number may be blocked from receiving collect calls from correctional facilities. These include:

  • Your local telephone company does not offer billing on collect calls
  • You have reached the maximum dollar amount limit allowed for collect calls
  • You are trying to receive collect calls on a cell phone or work phone

You can sign up for the easy-to-use and convenient prepaid calling program offered by GTL, by either Clicking Here to sign up online or calling 866-607-6006.

How do I set up my cell phone to receive phone calls?

For instructions on setting up your cell phone to receive phone calls from the CDCR, please visit our Friends and Family Information section.

Are all phone calls monitored and recorded?

Global Tel*Link, in conjunction with the CDCR, monitor and record all connected phone calls. For additional information on this policy, please visit our Friends and Family Information page.