DOC Inmates

Inmates lookup and calling solution

ConnectNetwork App

The ConnectNetwork app makes it possible for you to communicate conveniently with loved ones — like, say, friends or relatives — who are in prison. Through the ConnectNetwork app, you are able to create a ConnectNetwork (previously known as Offender Connect) account in a convenient manner, using your smart-phone. That is an account through which you can maintain contact with loved ones who are in prison. Through the ConnectNetwork app, you are able to deposit funds into an inmate’s phone account conveniently, using your smart-phone. These are funds that the inmate can subsequently use to call you, or to call other people they need to keep in touch with. Further, through the ConnectNetwork app, you are also able to deposit funds into the inmate’s trust fund/commissary account conveniently, using your smart-phone. These are funds that the inmate can then use to buy the various assorted items they need in prison.

ConnectNetwork app for Android

The ConnectNetwork app for Android can be downloaded from the Google Play website. If your smart-phone is powered by the Android operating system, then this is the version of the ConnectNetwork app you will need to download and install.

ConnectNetwork app for the iOS

The ConnectNetwork app for the iOS can be downloaded from the Apple App store/iTunes website. If your smart-phone is powered by the iOS (like, for instance, if yours is an iPhone), then this is the version of the ConnectNetwork app you will need to download and install.

How to download the ConnectNetwork app

You can start by going to the ConnectNetwork portal mobile site (m.connectnetwork.com). Once there, you will be given the opportunity to download the ConnectNetwork Android app or the ConnectNetwork iPhone app. Click on the appropriate download button, and you will then be able to download the app: after which you can proceed to install it on your smart-phone.

How to use the ConnectNetwork app

First you will need to create a ConnectNetwork account, in order to be able to do much with the ConnectNetwork app. Once you have downloaded and installed it, you can use the app to create the ConnectNetwork account. That is a matter of launching the app — and once you have the ConnectNetwork app running, you just need to indicate that you wish to ‘create an account’ and you will be taken through the motions of doing so.

Once you have created a ConnectNetwork account, you will need to be logging into the account, in order to use the various Global Tel Link (GTL) services offered through ConnectNetwork. Of course, you can log in using the app. Just launch the app, and then indicate that you wish to log in, and you will be taken through the motions of logging in.

Once you are logged into the ConnectNetwork app, you can do many things: from loading funds into an AdvancePay account to loading funds into an inmate’s PIN deposit phone account as well as depositing funds into an inmate’s trust fund/commissary account.

Links to get you going

www.icsolutions.com – IC Solutions

ICSolutions offers inmate telephone services. This means that ICSolutions makes it possible for people who are on the outside (like, say, friends and relatives of prison inmates) to maintain contact with the inmates, through phone calls. The way ICSolutions works is such that a person who is on the outside — like, say, a friend or a relative to a prison inmate — can provide the funds that an inmate needs to make phone calls. The person who is on the outside may decide to fund an inmate’s telephone calling account, after which the inmate can use the funds to call whichever number(s) he or she wishes to call. The person on the outside may alternatively decide to fund a prepaid account, linked to a specific phone number: after which the inmate can use the funds to (only) call that specific number.

Getting started with ICSolutions services

To get started with ICSolutions services, go to the ICSolutions website (ICSolutions.com). On the ICSolutions website homepage, focus your attention on the main menu that is on top: the one with items like ‘Sign In’, ‘Create Account’, ‘Products and Services’ and ‘Support’. From that menu, click on the ‘Create Account’ link. On the screen that you are taken to, click where it is written ‘Click here to register’. Then fill in the required details in the next screen that you are transferred to, in order to initiate the process of setting up an ICSolutions account.

Making payments to ICSolutions

The payment options available to you, through which you can fund your ICSolutions account, are by debit card or credit card: with the only accepted cards being Visa and MasterCard. You can also fund a prepaid account by Western Union and there is also the option of making payment using a cashier’s check or a money order.

ICSolutions service options

As hinted earlier, there are two main options open to ICSolutions services users. The first option is that of funding an inmate’s debit telephone account. Here, the money is fully transferred to the inmate, who can then decide on the phone numbers to call using the money. The second option is that of funding a prepaid account. In this case, the money is actually in your account, and the inmate can only use it to call you, using the specified phone number. It is worth noting that ICSolutions also has a unique service, where a person on the outside can leave a voice mail for an inmate. This works as long as the facility where the inmate is held offers voice mail services, and as long as the person wishing to do so has a prepaid ICSolutions account.

Links to get you going

www.gtl.net – Global Tel Link

Global Tel Link (GTL) is a company that specializes in the provision of various innovative solutions to the correctional agencies. The innovative solutions in question range from inmate communication solutions to payment and deposit solutions as well as visitation solutions. Others are correctional facility management solutions and investigative solutions. Thus, through GTL’s solutions, it is possible for people who are on the outside to communicate conveniently (by phone or by email messages) with people who are in correctional facilities. Through GTL’s solutions, it is possible for people who are on the outside to deposit funds to inmates’ commissary/trust accounts. Further, through GTL’s solutions, it is possible for people who are on the outside to undertake video visitations with inmates. Most of the company’s services are accessible to the end users through GTL’s ConnectNetwork website. That is the site which was previously known as Offender Connect.

Exploring the full range of GTL’s solutions

To explore the whole range of GTL’s solutions, you only need to visit GTL’s website (GTL.net). Once you are on the website’s homepage, focus your attention on the main menu at the top: the one with items like ‘Home’, ‘About GTL’, ‘Solutions’, ‘Facility Support’, ‘Friends and Family’ and ‘Contact Us’. On that menu, roll your mouse over the ‘Solutions’ link, and various drop down links will appear below. Click on the link for the specific solution you are interested in, and you will be taken to a page with more information about that particular GTL solution.

Accessing GTL’s solutions

To actually access and make use of most of GTL solutions (as a person with a friend or relative who is in prison), you will need to go to GTL’s ConnectNetwork.com website. Alternatively, starting from GTL’s website, from the main menu at the top, click on the ‘Friends and Family’ link. On the page you are taken to, click on the ‘ConnectNetwork’ link/logo, and you will be taken to the ConnectNetwork website: where you will be able to actually use GTL’s various solutions.

Using GTL’s solutions to communicate with inmates

Once are on GTL’s ConnectNetwork website, focus your attention on the left hand side of the homepage: where you will see a section entitled ‘Access My Account’. From that section, you can log into your ConnectNetwork account. If you don’t have a ConnectNetwork account, you can create one, by clicking on the appropriate link in that section – and then proceed to log into the account. Once you are logged in, you can then proceed to use GTL’s services to communicate with inmates. That would be by way of funding a prison inmate’s phone account, or sending an electronic message to the inmate.

Using GTL’s solutions to fund inmates’ commissary accounts

You need to start by going to GTL’s ConnectNetwork.com website. On the left hand sidebar of the homepage, you will encounter a section entitled ‘Access My Account’. From that section, log into your ConnectNetwork account. If you don’t have a ConnectNetwork account, you can create one from there straight away, and then log in. Once you are logged in, click on the appropriate (self-explanatory) link, and you will be taken to a page where you can start the process of depositing funds to an inmate’s commissary/trust fund account.

Links to get you going

www.offenderconnect.com – Offender Connect Phone Service

The Offender Connect website — which is nowadays known as the ConnectNetwork website — makes it possible for you to, among other things, deposit funds into an inmate’s phone account. Those are funds that the inmate can then use to make phone calls, as need arises. Thus, it is through the said ConnectNetwork website, which was previously known as the Offender Connect website, that you can access and make use of Global Tel Link’s (GTL) inmate communication solutions. You are likely to find the service useful if you have a friend or a relative who is in prison, and whom you’d like to maintain contact with by phone.

How to Deposit Funds into an inmate’s phone account using the Offender Connect website

Depositing funds into an inmate’s phone account using the Offender Connect website (which is nowadays known as the ConnectNetwork website) is easy. You start by going to the Offender Connect website/ConnectNetwork website. Once there, you need to log into your account, by entering the user ID and password. If you don’t have an Offender Connect/ConnectNetwork account, first create one, then log in. Once you are logged in, click to indicate that you wish to deposit funds into an inmate’s phone account, and you will be taken through the requisite steps.

Payment options to deposit funds into an inmate’s phone account using the Offender Connect website

To deposit funds into an inmate’s phone account using the Offender Connect/ConnectNetwork website, you can use a Visa or MasterCard credit card. You can also use a Visa or MasterCard debit card. Besides the cards, there are other payment options, like money order, check and Western Union.

Offender Connect inmate phone service options

The phone service option is the one that is referred to as the AdvancePay prepaid phone account service. Under this service, the funds remain in your possession, and the inmate can only use the funds to call you. The second inmate phone service option is the one that is referred to as the ConnectNetwork/OffenderConnect PIN debit prepaid phone account. This is an inmate-managed account: therefore after the deposit, the funds are in the inmate’s phone account, from where the inmate can use the funds to call whoever he/she wants.

Links to get you going

www.Offenderconnect.com – Offender Connect Prison Email Service

There is one unique service that is offered by Global Tel Link (GTL) through the Offender Connect website: namely the prison email service. Thanks to the said Offender Connect prison email service, you can be in a position to send electronic messages to a prison inmate. The inmate can then have the electronic messages printed out (by the prison authorities) and handed over to him or her in hard copy. Alternatively, in some prisons, the inmate can actually be in a position to access the sent electronic messages on prison computers, and even be in a position to respond to the messages electronically, through the said prison computers.

How the Offender Connect prison email service works

The workings of the Offender Connect prison email service are simple and straightforward. But firstly, it is worth noting that the name ‘Offender Connect’ was changed to ‘ConnectNetwork’. Secondly, it is worth noting that the service was previously known as the ‘Email Center’ service, but its name was changed to ‘Message Link’. Now the way it works is such that a person who is on the outside (like, say, a friend or a relative to a prison inmate) goes to the ConnectNetwork website and logs into his or her account there.  Then once logged in, the user clicks to indicate that he or she wishes to use the ‘Message Link’ section of the website. The next step is to compose the message, and specify the inmate it is to be sent to. Once the message is dispatched, it may be printed out and handed to the inmate in hard copy form. Alternatively, in some prisons, the inmate may be able to access it on special prison computers, read it there (in electronic form/soft copy form), and even respond to the message electronically.

Getting started with the Offender Connect prison email service

To get started with the Offender Connect prison email service, you need to start by setting up an account on the Offender Connect website: which is nowadays known as the ConnectNetwork website. So you go to the ConnectNetwork website, and from the homepage, just below the log in section, click on the ‘Sign Up’ button that is under the ‘Create My Account’ section. Once you have a ConnectNetwork account, you will be able to use GTL’s various inmate communication services: including the Message Link service to send email messages to inmates.

How to go about using the Offender Connect prison email service

To send a message to an inmate using the Offender Connect prison email service (which is nowadays known as the ConnectNetwork Message Link service), you start by going to the ConnectNetwork website. The ConnectNetwork website is the one that was previously known as the Offender Connect website. Once there, you log into your ConnectNetwork account. Then, once logged in, you just click to indicate that you are interested in the ‘Message Link’ service. The next step is to indicate that you wish to compose/create a new message: whereupon you will be required to specify the message’s recipient, then compose the message’s subject and body. Finally, as with a normal email message, there is a button you will be able to click on, in order to dispatch the message to the intended recipient.

Links to get you going