How to Call an Inmate in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) encourages and supports families and friends to stay in contact with incarcerated individuals. Phone calls are frequently used to do so. The DOC is not responsible for creating phone accounts. All accounts are created by Securus. Any questions about phone accounts should be directed to Securus.

AdvanceConnect

This friend and family-owned prepaid calling account allows 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 correctional facilities.

Benefits of AdvanceConnect:

  • 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, on the mobile app, or by contacting them via phone.
  • You can get a free download of the Securus Mobile App through the Android or Apple store.

Direct Bill

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.

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 website or by contacting Securus by 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.

Email Option

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) uses email services provided by GTL, so emails may be sent to inmates. ALL emails inmates receive are subject to review for appropriate content. The DOC is NOT responsible for creating accounts or for troubleshooting any technological issues a user may have with the email system.

Learn more about the email service on the GTL website

ConnectNetwork

ConnectNetwork is the access portal to create an account and to use as the login for your account after it has been created. You can also obtain message credit information at this location.

GTL also provides a question and answer page about the email service.

Individuals with questions about the service should contact GTL Friends and Family Customer Service directly by calling 1.877.650.4249.

Video Visits/Calls

Video visitation is a free service offered to inmates and authorized visitors, and all inmates are eligible to participate. The visiting rules for Video Visitation are generally the same as those for visiting in a Pennsylvania facility.

To sign up and schedule a visit, check out the visitation scheduler system.

For complete details about how to participate and how to schedule a video visit, read the Video Visitation Visitors Guide.

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