How to Call an Inmate in North Dakota

Inmates incarcerated in a North Dakota prison facility are not allowed to receive incoming telephone calls, nor will the staff take messages to pass along. None of the facilities have a resident messaging line available to leave voice messages.

Residents are allowed to make phone calls during their recreation times, which varies depending on their housing unit, to those who are added to their approved phone list. Residents are allowed to have a total of 20 numbers on their approved phone list.

If you would like to receive phone calls from an inmate in North Dakota, you must fill out a telephone application and mail it to that inmate at their facility. Any telephone number the resident wishes to call must first go through the DOCR telephone application process, which can take seven to 14 days.

Applications will ONLY be accepted through the mail. Once the application is either approved or denied, it will be returned to the inmate. It is the inmate’s responsibility to notify the requesting individual on the status of their application. Due to security reasons, prison staff will not discuss this information over the phone.

When an inmate arrives at the North Dakota State Penitentiary, they are allowed to choose one temporary phone number to contact, which is valid for 30 days. They are given two initial five-minute phone calls upon arriving at the facility. After the two initial phone calls, any following calls must be paid for by either the resident or the approved caller.

Inmates must purchase their phone time from within the facility using their commissary account. Should the approved caller choose to pay for their phone calls, they need to set up a collect call account through Securus Technologies.

This can be done by going online or calling Securus at 1-800-844-6591. All phone rates are billed at .079 cents per minute.

Attorney phone numbers are not added to personal phone lists and instead are placed on a Global calling list. Attorney phone calls are not free and must be paid for either by the resident or with the attorney’s collect call account through Securus.

Securus offers different options for friends and family members who wish to receive phone calls or connect via video chat with their loved one in prison. All North Dakota facilities have AdvanceConnect and DirectBill phone services, and four facilities offer Securus VideoConnect.

AdvanceConnect

This friend and family-owned prepaid calling account fits your needs by allowing you to receive collect calls from an incarcerated individual and have the charges deducted automatically from your prepaid account. This prepaid account puts you in control of spending and ensures you can receive calls from our incarcerated loved one. AdvanceConnect includes the following features:

Can receive calls on multiple phone numbers.
Ability to receive calls from multiple incarcerated loved ones.
Ability to receive calls from an incarcerated individual as long as funds are available in your account.
Ease of adding multiple phone numbers to your account, so your loved one can call your home, work, or cell phone as well as relatives, friends, or other contacts.
Calls connect to cell phones (subject to facility restrictions).
You have 24/7-365 access to your account on the Securus website, the mobile app or by phone.
You can get a free download of the Securus Mobile App through the Android or Apple store.

DirectBill

A Direct Bill account allows you to receive collect calls from inmates and have the charges billed directly to you each month from Securus Correctional Billing Services (SCBS). This account is a good option if the inmate is incarcerated for longer than two years or if you are an attorney, bail bondsmen, consulate, social worker or other small business or government agency.

With verification or approved credit, you can receive an itemized monthly bill statement from SCBS for your calls. This account offers you the following benefits:

Itemized monthly bill statement of call activity
You can receive all the calls you need to, up to your credit limit
You can add multiple phone numbers to your account to ensure you receive all your calls
Calls will connect to cell phones (subject to facility restrictions)
You are able to receive inmate calls as long as your bill is paid in full by the due date
No minimum payment amount
You have 24/7-365 access to your account on the Securus website or by contacting them via phone

NOTE: If you have received notice that a Direct Bill account was automatically opened for you, you will need to set up access to manage your account with Securus Online.

VideoConnect

VideoConnect is available at Missouri River Correctional Center, North Dakota State Penitentiary, Heart Of America Correctional & Treatment Center, and Dakota Women’s Correctional and Rehabilitation Center.

Missouri River Correctional has only remote video sessions available seven days per week between 8:00 AM and 10:00 PM. The rate for this service is $5 per 20 minutes for friends and family, and $6.95 for 20 minutes for attorneys.

North Dakota State Penitentiary has both onsite and remote video sessions available. The schedule is as follows:

Remote Sessions

Sunday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Monday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Tuesday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Wednesday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Thursday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Friday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Saturday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Onsite Sessions

Sunday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Monday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Tuesday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Wednesday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Thursday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Friday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Saturday
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
12:00 PM – 4:15 PM
4:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Duration and Pricing at North Dakota State Penitentiary:

Remote Attorney: 20 min $6.95
Onsite Attorney: 20 min $0.00
Remote Friends and Family: 20 min $5.00
Onsite Friends and Family: 20 min $0.00

Heart Of America Correctional & Treatment Center has only remote sessions available. The schedule is as follows:

Sunday
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Monday
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Tuesday
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM\

Wednesday
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Thursday
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Friday
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Saturday
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Duration and fees for friends, family, and attorneys are 20 minutes for $5.95.

Dakota Women’s Correctional Center offers remote sessions only, and the schedule is seven days per week from 6:15 AM to 9:00 PM. The duration and rate for family and friends is 20 minutes for $5.00, and for attorneys the rate is 20 minutes for $12.99.