How to Call an Inmate in South Carolina

The State of South Carolina has selected Global Tel*Link Corporation as the Inmate Telephone System Services Provider for the South Carolina Department of Corrections. GTL was selected over its competitors for its industry-leading inmate calling system and communications solutions to provide services to both inmates and families.

Requirements

• Inmates admitted to SCDC will be issued a Personal Identification Number (PIN) within one week of their admission to enable them to place calls as allowed by the institutional schedule.
• Inmates are not allowed to call toll free numbers.
• In order to accept collect calls:
  • Your phone account must be current with your local telephone company (not past due).
  • Your local telephone company must have a  Billing and Collection agreement
    with the South Carolina Department of Corrections’ inmate phone service provider.
  • You must have a non-cordless phone with touch tone service (no rotary dial).
• Calls to cell phones must be made using a prepaid account. Inmate calls to cells phones must be prepaid by the family member (please see the FAQ and information links below). To sign up for an AdvancePay® prepaid phone account, visit ConnectNetwork.com
• All calls from inmates will be subject to restrictions, recording, and monitoring.
• Called parties will have the option to not accept a call, block all future calls from an inmate, or block all future calls from the SC Department of Corrections.

Rates

Calls to anywhere in the US are billed at a single rate of 5.5 cents per minute. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my number blocked or if I want my number blocked? 

Call: 1-866-230-7761 It may be due to your local phone service provider not having a billing and collection agreement with the South Carolina Department of Corrections’ inmate phone service provider. 

You may be past due on your local phone bill. If you are overdue on their payment, if you have ever “not paid” a long distance phone bill, or your service has ever been disconnected, you may be restricted from receiving calls. 

When you receive a call from a South Carolina Department of Corrections inmate, you will be given the option to either block this inmate from calling your number or all inmates incarcerated at the S.C. Department of Corrections. You may also call 1-866- 230-7761 and ask that your number be blocked. 

Is there a credit limit on my account? 

Call: 1-866-230-7761 In the correctional industry, the typical monthly bill can range from $30.00 to $150.00 a month. As a courtesy to guard against fraud, the inmate phone service vendor may establish a “courtesy limit” for your account. This limit can be raised or lowered, depending upon your needs and payment history. 

What do I do if calls are restricted because I have reached my Courtesy Limit? 

In order to clear the restriction on your line, your account must be current with your local phone company provider, including all local and correctional collect call charges (this includes collect call charges that may not have shown up on your bill yet). These charges must be paid in full to your local phone company provider. 

Once you have made your payment (in full) call 1-866-230-7761 and let them know you have made a payment. They will verify the information with your local provider. 

How do I increase my “Courtesy Limit”? 

You will need to provide proof of payment for six months of service with your local phone provider for correctional collect calls. 

What does it mean that my local phone company does not allow Correctional Facility collect calls to be added to my local bill? 

Local phone providers may choose not to have a billing and collection agreement with other phone company providers and/or third party billing agents. If they choose not to provide this service, the inmate phone provider has no way to bill you for the calls you have received. Thus, your calls may be restricted until you contact us to make arrangements for PrePay calling. 

My calls are blocked and my local phone company does not have a billing and collection agreement with South Carolina’s inmate phone system provider. What do I do? 

As an alternative means for receiving calls from a facility, the inmate phone service provider offers a PrePay Program. To set up a PrePay account and receive a discount on phone calls, please call: 1-800-483-8314. 

Why are my calls suddenly terminated if I am on line with someone from a South Carolina Department of Corrections facility? If you utilize any phone features from your local provider including, but not limited to:  Call forwarding, 3-way call,  transfer call, remote call, cell phone,  cordless phone. If someone picks up the phone in another room during the call, then your call may be disconnected. 

No credits will be issued for calls disconnected due to the above reasons. There are security risks with using these technologies and per the South Carolina Department of Corrections’ guidelines, these technologies are strictly prohibited. 

Why is there such a long hold time on the 800 number? 

You may experience long hold times at peak periods of the day. Mondays are typically a peak day. Weekdays at noon and 5:00 P.M. are also peak periods. If you can, try to call at non-peak times and your call may be processed much faster.