Prison Phone Justice

ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES
AND PROCEDURES
State of Tennessee
Department of Correction

Index #: 208.08

Page 1

of 4

Effective Date: April 15, 2006
Distribution: A
Supersedes: 208.08 (4/15/03)

Approved by: George M. Little
Subject: INMATE TELEPHONE DEBIT SYSTEM

I.
II.

AUTHORITY: TCA 4-3-604, TCA 40-24-107, TCA 40-28-201, TCA 41-6-106, TCA 41-21-216,
and TCA 41-21-512.
PURPOSE: To establish standard procedures for the use of the Inmate Telephone Debit System.

III.

APPLICATION: Wardens (excluding Hardeman County Correctional Facility and Whiteville
Correctional Facility), Institutional Trust Fund Custodians, Fiscal Officers, Director of Fiscal
Services, inmates, and South Central Correctional Center.

IV.

DEFINITIONS:

V.

VI.

A.

Inmate Telephone System (ITS): A system which controls the use of telephones by the
inmates at all departmental institutions.

B.

Debit Call: A telephone call made by an inmate to an allowed telephone number, where the
total cost of the call will be deducted from the inmate's debit account with the service
provider.

C.

Telephone Credits: Dollar purchases of credits to be used by an inmate to pay for a debit
call. These credits can be purchased by the inmate or family and friends.

POLICY: All inmates at institutions utilizing the Inmate Telephone System (ITS) for processing
inmate telephone calls shall be allowed to establish and use the Inmate Telephone Debit System
(ITDS), which will be totally managed and operated by the ITS service provider.
PROCEDURES:
A.

Inmate Purchase of Telephone Credits:
1.

The inmate can request fund transfers from their institutional trust fund account for
the purchase of telephone credits once each month.

2.

Telephone credits can be purchased in "whole" dollar amounts only.

3.

The minimum telephone credit purchase amount is $5.00.

4.

The inmate shall purchase telephone credits utilizing the Department of Correction
Trust Fund Account Personal Withdrawal Request form, CR-2727. (See Policy
#208.01.)

Effective Date: April 15, 2006

Index # 208.08

Page 2

of 4

Subject: INMATE TELEPHONE DEBIT SYSTEM

5.

Upon receipt of all inmate withdrawals for the month, the institution's trust fund
custodian shall process them per Policy #208.01 and deduct the specified amounts
from each inmate's trust fund account.

6.

By the 20th of each month, the amounts deducted from the inmate’s trust fund
account shall be credited to an ITS organization account within the inmate trust
fund. If the 20th of the month is on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, the amounts
must be credited to an ITS organization account within the inmate trust fund by the
close of business on the next official work day.

7.

If the amounts in Section VI.(A)(6) above are not credited to the ITS organization
account within the inmate trust fund by the above stated date, the transactions will
not be processed and the inmate(s) will have to wait until the next month to
transfer the funds. Any exception to this must have the approval of the Director of
Budget and Fiscal Services or designee.

8.

The institution's trust fund custodian shall then prepare an Inmate Telephone
System data entry log, CR-3569, completing the columns for Inmate Number,
Inmate Name, and Amount; the columns for Person Sending Funds, Type of
Funds, and Serial Number shall remain blank.

9.

The institution’s trust fund custodian shall fax or GroupWise the data entry log to
Fiscal Services the next working day after the 20th of the month or the next
working day after the date of crediting the ITS organization account within the
inmate trust fund per Section VI.(A)(6) above.

10.

On the 21st of the month or the next working day after the date of crediting the ITS
organization account within the trust fund per Section VI.(A)(6) above, Fiscal
Services will print the TOMIS account balance report indicating the ITS
organization account balances.

11.

Upon receipt of the ITS data entry log, Fiscal Services shall reconcile the amounts
on the data entry log to the TOMIS account balance report. Any discrepancies
noted shall be reconciled with the institution immediately.

12.

After the reconciliation in Section VI.(A)(11) above is completed, Fiscal Services
will debit the ITS organization account for each institution and credit the Central
Office ITS organization account.

13.

Within two (2) working days , a warrant will be issued from the Central Office ITS
organization account and made payable to the service provider. Fiscal Services
will mail the check, along with the Inmate Telephone System data entry logs, by
way of the service provider’s Federal Express account. Fiscal Services will notify
each institution's trust fund custodian of the trust fund check number and Federal
Express tracking number.

Effective Date: April 15, 2006

Index # 208.08

Page 3

of 4

Subject: INMATE TELEPHONE DEBIT SYSTEM

B.

Family and friends may purchase telephone credits by sending their funds directly to the
ITS service provider at the following address.
Global Tel*Link Corporation
Dept 1705
Denver, CO 80291-1705

VII.
VIII.

C.

An inmate shall not have funds deducted from the Inmate Telephone System trust fund and
deposited into his/her institutional trust fund, except where an inmate is transferred to an
institution that does not utilize Global Tel*Link's inmate telephone system.

D.

It will be the responsibility of the ITS service provider to refund any funds remaining in
the Inmate Telephone System trust fund directly to the inmate upon his/her release from
TDOC custody.

E.

Any concerns with the system must be made in writing first to the ITS service provider. If
the issue is not resolved by the service provider, the TDOC ITS coordinator may be
contacted, in writing, with copies of all applicable documentation concerning the issue(s)
attached.

ACA STANDARDS: 4-4027, 4-4031, 4-4044, and 4-4045.
EXPIRATION DATE: April 15, 2009.

TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION
INMATE TELEPHONE SYSTEM LOG
PAGE

OF

DATE RECEIVED

INMATE
NUMBER

INMATE NAME

PERSON SENDING
FUNDS

TYPE OF
FUNDS

SERIAL NUMBER

AMOUNT

*INVALID INMATE NUMBERS, COULD NOT ENTER DEPOSIT

DATE ENTERED
INITIALS OF EMPLOYEE
STARS BATCH DATE
STARS BATCH NUMBER

TOTAL MONEYS RECEIVED THIS PAGE
LESS: INVALID MONEYS THIS PAGE
TOTAL DEPOSIT THIS PAGE
LESS: ITEMS ON HOLD THIS PAGE
ITS DEPOSITS AVAILABLE THIS PAGE

$

TOTAL MONEYS RECEIVED FOR ALL PAGES
LESS: INVALID MONEYS FOR ALL PAGES
TOTAL DEPOSIT FOR ALL PAGES
LESS: ITEMS ON HOLD FOR ALL PAGES
ITS DEPOSITS AVAILABLE FOR ALL PAGES

$

$
$

DEPOSIT SLIP NUMBER

CR-3569

Duplicate-as-Needed

$
$

RDA 2283