How to Call an Inmate in Iowa

The Iowa Department of Corrections provides telephone service for the benefit of inmates and their families. The costs of providing this service are reflected in the rates charged for its use, which are lower than for most other states. Rates will differ due to maintenance service and reporting of calls.

Iowa law authorizes the Department to maintain an inmate telephone fund, the proceeds of which are to be used for the benefit of inmates. The Board of Corrections has directed that these funds be used for the following offender benefits:

• Legal services
• Religious accommodations
• Education
• Victim services

All inmates in Iowa are allowed to make outgoing collect calls and pre-paid calls. You must be on your inmate’s call list in order to receive phone calls. The inmate must submit your name and phone number to their case worker, so you can be placed on the call list. All calls are monitored and recorded.

Prepaid Telephone Services

In order to receive calls from an inmate in Iowa, you must complete this form and pay for phone credits in advance. It is suggested that you copy a sufficient supply to meet your needs because you need a form every time you add money to the account. 

All cashier’s checks or money orders need to be made out to IDOC-OTA, the offender’s last name, and inmate number. If you do not know your inmate’s DOC number, click here to do an inmate search.

For quality assurance, all information must be completed or the deposit will be returned to sender or turned over to the State of Iowa Treasure Hunt Program. 

All Deposits Must Be Addressed and Sent to: 

IDOC Offender Telephone Accounts
Post Office Box 1417
Fort Madison, Iowa 52627 

Families and friends on an offender’s calling list may call (319) 372-5432 extensions 41821#, Monday through Friday between 1:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. with questions regarding deposits. 

The minimum amount for each deposit will be $20.00. Only cashier’s checks and money orders will be accepted. All deposits must be designated to an inmate name and matching I.D. number. 

Currently, phone calls are limited to a maximum of twenty minutes, and the local call rate is 11 cents per minute. The in-state and out-of-state rate is also 11 cents per minute. International rates vary. To see a full rate list, click here.

Inmate Banking, JPay, AccessCorrections, & Western Union

The Iowa Department of Corrections has centralized offender banking operations. All incoming money for offender spending/commissary accounts is received and handled by a central location, the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women – Mitchellville (FDCF). 

All incoming money for an inmate’s account must be sent to the following address:

IDOC Offender Fiduciary Account
1550 L Street, Suite B
Fort Dodge, IA 50501

All deposits must be in the form of a cashier’s check or money order. All cashier’s checks and money orders must be made payable to: IDOC offender Fiduciary Account. 

The cashier’s check or money order must include the following: offender name, offender number, sender’s name, and sender’s complete address. All writing should be legible. If the deposit does not follow these guidelines, it will be returned to the sender by mail. 

Money in the inmate’s account can be used to purchase phone time, so they can call you. However, you must be on their call list. Any money you deposit into an inmate’s account can be used to purchase items from the commissary, not just phone time.

You can also use Access Corrections, JPay, or Western Union to send money to an inmate. Details on how to do that can be found on the individual facility’s page.