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Telephones

Interview with Nicole, Toby, Donald, Manuel, Jimmie, Jack, David, Rhonda, Paul, Mike, Leo and Liz

JM: Did you have regular access to telephones?
Nicole: yes.
Toby: Yes but that is another rippoff scam between AT&T and the state.. You can pay up to $30 for a 15 minute phonecall and most of the time you will get disconnected before the 15 minute time limit is up. If you really want to hurt your family worse than they are already hurting... Call them everyday... You will bankrupt them in short order
Donald: There was a phone there but I didnt use it.
Manuel: Yes in the main tanks but don't always work well as long as you aren't locked down
Jimmie: yes you can use the phones during the day except during count or chow
Jack: Yes as much phone time as you need.
David: No I could not make a call to exspensive
Rhonda: Yes there where pay phones but collect calling only.
Paul: Yes
Mike: We were allowed to make phone calls on any of our free time. We were limited only as warranted by our behavior.
Leo: pay phones at certain times of the day
Liz: No there was not regular access to phones.

JM: What types of charges applied for calling people? How much money would you guess the average inmate spends per week on phone calls?
Nicole: 3.85 per call.
Toby: The inmates spend nothing. That is the insidious part of the scam. Each prison makes around $2 million per year on calls alone and it is the inmates families that are footing the bill.
Donald: I think it costs about five dollars for a complete call. You would spend at least $20 to $30 dollars a week.
Manuel: You can make collect calls or buy a calling card the price varies local calls are around 2 dollars some people spend a lot more then 20.00 dollars and some don't spend any
Jimmie: you can make collect calls or buy a calling card I think local calls were a little more then 2 dollars on the calling cards not sure how much the collect calls were some people never used the phones and some were on them constantly so they spent from 0 to 50 dollars a week
Jack: Its 3 dollars for a collect call. I'd say 20- 50 dollars a week on average
David: I do not no the anser to either of these questions but I do no its exspensive.
Rhonda: in town 3 something and if you lived out of state it could be up to 10.00 a call.
Paul: You had to have a prepaid account, I believe it was approx a dollar a minute. $20- $30
Mike: It was $3.50 for the most part to make initial contact, then about a dollar a minute.
Leo: collect $4.00 a call, $20 to $50
Liz: Depending on how much you call people. I seen some one use $50 a week.

JM: Did you need to buy phone cards to call out?
Nicole: yes, or people could put money on their phone.
Toby: No.. most are collect call phones and all calls are of crappy quality and are always recorded...
Donald: If I needed to use the phone someone would have needed to use the kiosk to add money.
Manuel: Yes if you can't call collect or if your calling a cell phone
Jimmie: you don't have to buy a calling card you can make a collect call also
Jack: You can but you don't have to.
David: No I did not nore have I ever bought phone cards
Rhonda: you could be didn't have to if your family excepted collect calling or family could put money on a cell phone or home phone by using a kiose.
Paul: Yes
Mike: Yes, you need a phone card with a pin number. The person you are calling has to also have an account set up to receive your phone calls
Leo: yes they were $10
Liz: You have to have a card to call.

JM: Did the jail screen your calls?
Nicole: yes.
Toby: ALL calls are recorded... If you have something sensitive to say, wait for a visit!!
Donald: Yes all calls were screened
Manuel: Yes they were recorded or at least they said they were
Jimmie: yes they record the calls it says so before the call is connected
Jack: I assume they do. I dunno
David: Im sure they did screen calls
Rhonda: They say they do but who knows.
Paul: Yes
Mike: Yes, all phone calls are monitored
Leo: yes
Liz: Of course they did! They always do.

Read about how inmates pass the time in the Tulsa County Jail