Source: http://prisonphoneservice.net/prison-phone-service-rules-and-regulations.html
Timestamp: 2020-07-07 14:08:17
Document Index: 561284757

Matched Legal Cases: ['ART 540', 'art 541', '§ 540', 'art 542', '§ 540', '§ 540', '§ 540', 'art 541', '§ 540']

Prison Phone Service Rules and Regulations
What are the Main Rules and Regulations of Jail Telephone services?
Main Features of Regulations Regarding Jail Phone Services
There are certain stipulations regarding the service of jail phones for inmates and these are published by the Bureau of Prisons. The guidelines offered by the Bureau of Prisons details all the procedures and regulations controlling calls made from prisons by inmates. The article given below gives more information regarding the regulations that have been issued and adopted in the prisons of Alabama and Texas.
These are the jail phone regulations that have been published by the Bureau of Prisons, Justice for prisoners in correctional institutions.
Ref: 44 FR 38249, June 29th – unless otherwise noted.
PART 540: CONTACT WITH PERSONS IN THE COMMUNITY
Subpart I: Telephone Regulations for Inmates
540.100 – Purpose and scope
(a) The Bureau of Prisons extends telephone privileges to inmates as part of its overall correctional management. Telephone privileges are a supplemental means of maintaining community and family ties that will contribute to an inmate’s personal development. An inmate may request to call a person of his or her choice outside the institution on a telephone provided for that purpose. However, limitations and conditions may be imposed upon an inmate’s telephone privileges to ensure that these are consistent with other aspects of the Bureau’s correctional management responsibilities. In addition to the procedures set forth in this subpart, inmate telephone use is subject to those limitations which the Warden determines are necessary to ensure the security or good order, including discipline, of the institution or to protect the public. Restrictions on inmate telephone use may also be imposed as a disciplinary sanction (see 28 CFR part 541).
(b) Except as provided in this rule, the Warden shall permit an inmate who has not been restricted from telephone use as the result of a specific institutional disciplinary sanction to make at least one telephone call each month. [59 FR 15824, Apr. 4, 1994, as amended at 61 FR 90, Jan. 2, 1996]
§ 540.101 – Procedures
(a) Telephone list preparation. An inmate telephone call shall ordinarily be made to a number identified on the inmate’s official telephone list. This list ordinarily may contain up to 30 numbers. The Associate Warden may authorize the placement of additional numbers on an inmate’s telephone list based on the inmate’s individual situation, e.g., size of family.
(1) During the admission and orientation process, an inmate who chooses to have telephone privileges shall prepare a proposed telephone list. At the time of submission, the inmate shall acknowledge that, to the best of the inmate’s knowledge, the person or persons on the list are agreeable to receiving the inmate’s telephone call and that the proposed calls are to be made for a purpose allowable under Bureau policy or institution guidelines.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, telephone numbers requested by an inmate will ordinarily be placed on the inmate’s telephone list. When an inmate requests the placement of numbers for persons other than for immediate family or those persons already approved for the inmate’s visiting list, staff ordinarily will notify those persons in writing that their numbers have been placed on the inmate’s telephone list. The notice advises the recipient that the recipient’s number will be removed from the list if the recipient makes a written request to the institution, or upon the written request of the inmate, or as provided in paragraph (a)(3) of this section.
(3) The Associate Warden may deny placement of a telephone number on an inmate’s telephone list if the Associate Warden determines that there is a threat to institution security or good order, or a threat to the public. Any disapproval must be documented in writing to both the inmate and the proposed recipient. As with concerns about any correctional issue, including any portion of these telephone regulations, an inmate may appeal the denial through the administrative remedy procedure (see 28 CFR part 542). The Associate Warden will notify the denied recipient that he or she may appeal the denial by writing to the Warden within 15 days of the receipt of the denial.
(c) Telephone access codes. An inmate may not possess another inmate’s telephone access code number. An inmate may not give his or her telephone access code number to another inmate, and is to report a compromised telephone access code number immediately to unit staff.
§ 540.102 Monitoring of inmate telephone calls
The Warden shall establish procedures that enable monitoring of telephone conversations on any telephone located within the institution, said monitoring to be done to preserve the security and orderly management of the institution and to protect the public. The Warden must provide notice to the inmate of the potential for monitoring. Staff may not monitor an inmate’s properly placed call to an attorney. The Warden shall notify an inmate of the proper procedures to have an unmonitored telephone conversation with an attorney.
§ 540.103 Inmate telephone calls to attorneys
§ 540.104 Responsibility for inmate misuse of telephones
The inmate is responsible for any misuse of the telephone. The Warden shall refer incidents of unlawful inmate telephone use to law enforcement authorities. The Warden shall advise an inmate that violation of the institution’s telephone regulations may result in institutional disciplinary action (See part 541, subpart B).
§ 540.105 Expenses of inmate telephone use
(a) An inmate is responsible for the expenses of inmate telephone use. Such expenses may include a fee for replacement of an inmate’s telephone access code that is used in an institution which has implemented debit billing for inmate telephone calls. Each inmate is responsible for staying aware of his or her account balance through the automated process provided by the system. Third party billing and electronic transfer of a call to a third party are prohibited.
Ref: Federal regulations – the Electronic code at
ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=1b05e55602d9f6414e1b52b7d128165d&rgn=div6&view=text&node=28:2.0.3.3.13.8&idno=28?ref=its