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

• ConnectNetwork mobile site: https://m.connectnetwork.com/

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

• ICSolutions website: http://www.icsolutions.com/
• ICSolutions FAQs: http://www.icsolutions.com/FriendsFamilyHome/Support/FAQs.html

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

• GTL website: http://www.gtl.net/
• GTL’s ConnectNetwork website: https://www.connectnetwork.com/

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

• Offender Connect (nowadays ConnectNetwork website): http://www.offenderconnect.com/
• ConnectNetwork website: https://www.connectnetwork.com/
• OffenderConnect (ConnectNetwork) FAQs: https://www.connectnetwork.com/help/help.jsp

Pay Tel is one of the companies that provide inmate telephone services. This means that Pay Tel is one of the companies whose services you can use to maintain contact (by phone) with friends or relatives who are in prison. With more than two decades experience in the provision of inmate telephone services and with a Better Business Bureau A+ rating, Pay Tel is a company you can trust, when it comes to communicating with loved ones who are in prison.

How Pay Tel’s inmate telephone services work

The workings of Pay Tel’s inmate telephone services are straightforward. One only needs to apply for a Pay Tel account: which could be a prepaid Pay Tel account or a direct billing Pay Tel account. Once you have such an account, you can start communicating with the specified inmate(s) by phone. If you opt for a prepaid Pay Tel account, then you first need to deposit funds into the account: before you can proceed to use the account to communicate with the loved ones who are in prison. If, on the other hand you opt for the direct billing Pay Tel account, you can start communicating with the loved one who is in prison straight away: without first having to fund the account — but with the understanding that you’d later have to pay the accrued bill.

Getting started with Pay Tel’s inmate telephone services

To get started with Pay Tel’s inmate telephone services, you need to go to Pay Tel’s website (Paytel.com). Once there, focus your attention on the main menu at the top: the one with items like ‘Family and Friends’, ‘Current Facility Login’, ‘Interested Facilities’, ‘About Pay Tel’ and ‘Contact Us’. From that menu, roll your mouse over the ‘Family and Friends’ link (it is the first in the menu), then from the drop down links that appear, click on the ‘Open New Account’ link. You will then be able to go through the motions of setting up a Pay Tel account — after which you can be using the account to communicate with friends and/or relatives who are in prison through Pay Tel.

Using Pay Tel’s inmate telephone services

In the process of setting up a Pay Tel account, you will be required to specify a number that the inmate you wish to communicate with would dial. Once the account is set up, the inmate in question will be able to dial that number, in order to communicate with you. If you opted for the prepaid plan, you will first have to deposit funds into the Pay Tel account, for you to communicate with an inmate through the system. If you opted for the direct billing plan, you will be able to carry on with communications: with the understanding that you’d settle the bill later.

Links to get you going

• Pay Tel website: https://www.paytel.com/
• Pay Tel FAQs: https://www.paytel.com/family-and-friends/faqs/