GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures
Functional Area:
Facilities Operations

Reference Number:
IIB01-0007

10/15/07

Subject:
Inmate/Probationer Access
to Telephones
Authority:
Donald/Depetro

I.

Revises Previous
Effective Date:

Page 1 of

Effective Date:
12/15/07

13

POLICY:
A.

To provide inmates/probationers
equitable access to telephones.

with

reasonable

and

B.

Inmate/Probationer telephone calls will be appropriately
supervised
in
a
manner
designated
by
the
Warden/Superintendent and consistent with the nature of
the facility.

C.

Emergency calls from family and friends of inmates and
calls from attorneys will be directed to the appropriate
staff member, generally the inmate’s assigned counselor
or
the
chaplain,
as
designated
by
the
Warden/Superintendent for verification and further action
as indicated based on the nature of the individual
situation.

D.

No long distance telephone calls for inmates/probationers
will
be
made
at
the
facility’s
expense
without
appropriate authorization from the Warden or designee.

E.

Boot Camp inmates will only have access to phones in
accordance with I.C. above.

F.

All Inmate Phone System computer equipment will be
maintained in a secure area and be inaccessible to
inmates/probationers at all times. All inmate phone
system records to include User I.D.s, Passwords, inmate
call allow lists and other confidential telephone
information are deemed a part of the inmate’s official
record.

G.

Audio recordings of inmate calls and both manual and online records of inmate calls are confidential records and
are deemed part of the inmate record.

Functional Area:

Prev. Eff. Date:

Facilities Operations

10/15/07

II.

Page 2 of

13

Effective Date:

Reference Number:

12/15/07

IIB01-0007

APPLICABILITY:
State Prisons, Private Prisons, Probation Detention Centers,
Transitional Centers, Diversion Centers, Inmate Boot Camps and
Probation Boot Camps housing GDC inmates.

III. RELATED DIRECTIVES:

IV.

A.

GDC Rules: 125-2-1-.01 (d) and 125-3-2-.04 (f) 7.

B.

GDC SOPs IVO14-0001 and IIB02-0001.

C.

ACA Standards: 3-4260, 3-4259 and 3-4439.

DEFINITIONS:
As used
apply:

V.

in

this

the

following

definitions

shall

A.

Attorney: The inmate’s attorney of record.

B.

Emergency Telephone Calls: Calls involving critical
family illness, death or other matters as determined by
the Warden/Superintendent.

ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment

1

-

Diagnostic/Permanent
Allow List.

Attachment

2

-

Inmate/Probationer
Form.

Attachment 3 VI.

document,

Inmate/Probationer

Telephone

Trouble

Call

Report

Record of Monitoring of Inmate Phone Calls

PROCEDURE:
A.

Access and Use of Telephone Equipment:
1.

Each facility will be responsible for providing
access to telephone services for inmate/probationers
in accordance with Section VI. of this SOP.

2.

Inmates
meeting
facility’s
criteria
will
be
permitted a telephone call at least once a month.
Emergency telephone calls and attorney calls as
covered in I.C. of this SOP will not constitute the
minimum monthly telephone call permitted.

Functional Area:

Prev. Eff. Date:

Facilities Operations

10/15/07

Page 3 of

13

Effective Date:

Reference Number:

12/15/07

IIB01-0007

3.

Each inmate will have an established phone list of
up to a maximum of twenty (20) persons. The phone
list does not have to correspond to the visitation
list. The inmate may have persons on the phone list
that are not on his/her visitation list.

4.

Only calls to phone numbers on the inmate’s approved
phone list can be placed through the inmate phone
system. Calls to cell phone numbers are not allowed.
Calls to remote forwarding numbers are also not
allowed.

5.

The Indigent Defense Council is a Georgia State
agency,
which
provides
legal
services
and
information to indigent groups in Georgia, including
inmates. Inmates must be given the opportunity to
choose to add this agency’s number 404-232-8900) (to
their call allow lists as one of the twenty numbers
they are allowed. The recording feature must be
blocked on all calls to this number so these calls
are NOT recorded. Notices must be posted in housing
units or this information must be placed in the
Inmate Handbook informing inmates that they may
choose to add the Indigent Defense Council’s number
to their call allow list as one of their 20 allowed
numbers.

6.

Normal operating hours for the inmate telephones
will be scheduled during non-work hours Monday
through Friday and all day on Saturday, Sundays and
holidays.
The Warden/Superintendent shall have the
authority to enable telephone operations during
working hours for good cause. Operation hours will
generally extend until lock down or lights-out time
on a daily basis.

7.

Phone units in all facilities (with the exception of
the TTD phones) must be set with a 15-minute maximum
limit on all calls. TTD phones must be set with a
30-minute maximum limit. Phones will automatically
cut-off when the time limit is reached.

8.

Disciplinary infractions related to telephone issues
may result in restriction of telephone privileges in
addition to other sanctions.

9.

Inmates under investigation for serious criminal
offenses (i.e. Murder, Homicide, Rape, Assault on
Staff, etc) will have their phone privileges
suspended until the investigation is complete.

Functional Area:

Prev. Eff. Date:

Facilities Operations

10/15/07

10.

Page 4 of

13

Effective Date:

Reference Number:

12/15/07

IIB01-0007

The Warden/Superintendent shall have the authority
to disable the Inmate Telephone System at his or her
facility.
This measure shall be enacted in
emergency situations only. If the measure lasts for
more than 24 hours, the Warden/Superintendent shall
have written approval from the Field Operations
Manager (FOM) before the initial 24-hour time period
ends.
If the system is disabled for more than 48
hours, the Warden/Superintendent shall have written
approval from the Director of Facilities Operations
before the initial 48-hour time period ends.

B.

Staff
System
Access:
In
order
to
access
the
administrative control system, the authorized users must
be assigned a User I.D. and Password. Once a user logs
onto the system, the computer system tracks every action
of
the
authorized
staff
while
working
in
the
administrative control system. Under no circumstances
will staff give out their Passwords and/or User I.D. to
anyone else. The person assigned a Password and User I.D.
will be held fully accountable for any unauthorized
activity, which takes place under those identifiers.

C.

Level of Access: For authorized staff at all facilities,
user capability will be based on the individual assigned
level of access to the administrative control system.
1.

There are three levels of access available within
the administrative control system for authorized
staff:
a.

Data Entry Access: Each facility will designate
staff authorized only to enter data into the
computerized telephone system. This includes
the entry of inmate/probationer call allow list
data, entry (updating) of changes to previously
entered
numbers
and
entry
of
information
related to inmate/probationer privileges, such
as length of call (if different from the
standard fifteen [15] minutes), number of calls
that can be made in a specified time period,
the time of day and the days of the week the
telephone can be used and the entry of
restriction of telephone privileges based on
disciplinary action.

b.

Call Search Access: Each facility’s designated
Inmate Telephone Site Administrator and backup
administrator will have Call Search Access to
allow review and research of telephone data for
cross-reference purposes, to trouble shoot

Functional Area:

Prev. Eff. Date:

Facilities Operations

10/15/07

Page 5 of

13

Effective Date:

Reference Number:

12/15/07

IIB01-0007

problems and to detect possible misuses of the
telephone. To obtain this level of access, an
authorization form must be completed and signed
by the Warden.
c.

D.

Call Monitoring Access: This level of access
will allow the monitoring of live and recorded
calls and will be limited to the Warden and his
or her designees at each prison and the
Superintendent and his or her designees at each
Center. It is prohibited for any staff to
monitor live or recorded calls without specific
and sufficient justification for cause (See
Section VI D.3. below).

Call Monitoring Procedures:
Monitoring activities are
exclusively limited to the Warden and his or her
designees at prison facilities and to the Superintendent
and his or her designees at Centers. A Record of
Monitoring Inmate Calls form (Attachment III) and a
logbook entry must be on file for all live or recorded
calls monitored.
1.

The inmate telephone system automatically records
all inmate calls unless a number has been blocked
for recording purposes. Calls placed to the inmate’s
attorney of record and to the Indigent Defense
Council
will
be
entitled
to
attorney-client
confidentiality
and
will
not
be
recorded
or
monitored if the inmate designated the number as
being that of his/her attorney of record on the call
allow list. It is the inmate’s responsibility to
insure that the attorney is clearly designated on
the call allow list. When monitoring calls, it is
the responsibility of the person monitoring to
ensure they are not monitoring an attorney call.

2.

It is the responsibility of each facility to insure
that inmates/probationers are aware that telephone
calls
may
be
monitored/recorded.
The
Warden/Superintendent of every facility must inform,
in writing, the entire inmate/probationer population
that telephone calls may be monitored and/or
recorded. This notice must be posted by each inmate
telephone.

3.

Monitoring will be conducted if the
inmate/probationer is suspected of, is attempting
to, or is in the process of, compromising the
safety, security, or integrity of the facility,

Functional Area:

Prev. Eff. Date:

Facilities Operations

10/15/07

Page 6 of

13

Effective Date:

Reference Number:

12/15/07

IIB01-0007

staff, other inmates or the general public. The
Warden/Superintendent or Designee must complete a
Record of Monitoring Inmate Calls form (Attachment
III). Additionally, an Inmate Telephone Monitoring
Log must be established. The Log must include the
following information on all monitored calls: Date
and time monitoring done; Number monitored; Inmate’s
Name and number; Name of person called; Name of
person monitoring; and a brief statement of reason
why monitoring was authorized. It is the
responsibility of the Warden or Designee to ensure
they are not monitoring calls protected by attorneyclient privilege.
4.

All requests from outside agencies (i.e.: FBI; GBI;
other law enforcement agencies) to monitor inmate
calls must be placed in writing to the Warden of the
facility housing the inmate with detailed
information regarding why the request is being made.
The Warden will forward this information to the
Facilities Operations Director who, in turn, will
forward the request to the Corrections Division
Director for review and authorization as
appropriate. Requests form GDC staff outside the
facility (I.e.: Special Investigations, Inmate
Affairs, etc.) to monitor inmate calls will be
placed in writing and referred directly to the
Facilities Operations Director for review and
authorization as appropriate.

5.

Written documentation of telephone monitoring
(i.e.: Record of Monitoring Inmate Calls forms and
Inmate Telephone Monitoring Log) must be maintained
on file at the facility for auditing purposes and
must be maintained in a confidential manner. The
Record of Monitoring Inmate Calls Form will be
maintained in a confidential area in the
Warden/Superintendent’s office and made a part of
the official record. Should the offender transfer to
another facility, this form shall be forwarded to
the receiving Warden/Superintendent. The logbook
will be maintained by the Warden’s Office and
maintained in a secure manner. GDC audit teams and
GDC Central Office Corrections Division staff will

Functional Area:

Prev. Eff. Date:

Facilities Operations

10/15/07

Page 7 of

13

Effective Date:

Reference Number:

12/15/07

IIB01-0007

be allowed to access these records for auditing and
review purposes.
6.

E.

F.

Monitoring must be done in a private, confidential
setting, out of sight and sound of other staff and
inmates in order to preserve the confidentiality of
information obtained. Headphones may be used to
contain sound, but the monitor must be out of sight
of all inmates and staff not authorized to monitor
calls.

On-Site Inmate Phone System (IPS) Staff:
1.

IPS
staff
are
located
at
the
following
GDC
Diagnostic Facilities: Metro S.P., Coastal S.P. and
GD&CP. Additionally, an IPS employee is located at
Telfair State Prison. IPS staff (employees of the
phone contractor and not GDC) are on-site full time
and serve as Site Administrators for the inmate
telephone system at these locations. These employees
must adhere to all Georgia Department of Corrections
policies, procedures, rules and regulations and will
be subject to all regulations contained in this SOP.
Any breach of the aforementioned will result in
action pursuant to the Employees Standard of Conduct
SOP IVO14-0001.

2.

Background Checks: Inmate Phone System staff are
required to have background checks completed prior
to being approved to work in GDC facilities. The
Inmate Phone Contractor will contact the GDC Inmate
Telephone Contract Manager when they want a new
employee
approved
to
enter
GDC
facilities.
Background checks will be completed by GDC Central
Office staff and approval or disapproval will be
relayed from the GDC Inmate Telephone Contract
Manager to the Inmate Phone Contractor. Upon
approval, arrangements will be made for a GDC Vendor
Identification Card to be made at a GDC facility.

Centralized Data Base:
1.

While in Diagnostics, an inmate’s initial call allow
list will be completed and entered into the
centralized inmate telephone data base, using the
Diagnostic/Permanent Innate/Probationer Call Allow
List (Attachment I). With the centralized data base,
when an inmate is transferred from one GDC facility
or private prison to another GDC facility or private
prison, the phone list will already be in the system

Functional Area:

Prev. Eff. Date:

Facilities Operations

10/15/07

Page 8 of

13

Effective Date:

Reference Number:

12/15/07

IIB01-0007

and will only need to be updated when it is time for
the six-month review and update.
2.

The
call
allow
list,
once
completed
by
the
inmate/probationer, is a confidential document and
must
not
be
left
in
plain
view
of
other
inmates/probationers, given to other inmates or in
any way left unsecured.

3.

The Inmate PIN or identifying number is the inmate
or probationer’s State ID number.

4.

Information on the call allow list includes the
telephone numbers (up to a maximum of 20) the inmate
wants on his/her list, the relationship of the
parties to the inmate, and the name, address, city
and state of the people whose numbers are being
placed on the list. Complete information must be
given before a number can be entered into the
telephone system. All phone numbers must be tied to
a phone located at the physical address listed.
Remote forwarding is a violation of policy. Cell
phone numbers are not authorized for placement on
inmate call allow lists.

5.

Information on the call allow list will be reviewed
and verified by the inmate’s assigned counselor to
ensure the accuracy and completeness of information.
Attorney of Record entries must be verified to
ensure that the number listed does belong to the
Attorney of Record and that the person listed is, in
fact, the inmate’s Attorney of Record. Verification
is not required for the Indigent Defense Council’s
number as specified in Section VI. A.5. of this
policy. The counselor must also ensure that no
victims of the offender are listed on the call-allow
list unless authorized by the Warden.

6.

The data entry staff will indicate whether the phone
list is the initial or an update by circling the
appropriate information on the Call Allow List
(Attachment I) at the time the data is entered into
the system. Once the initial list is entered, sixmonth revisions will be based on the last digit of
the inmate’s identification number. The system will
work as follows:
Last Digit of ID#
0 or 5

Six-Month Review
January & July

Functional Area:

Prev. Eff. Date:

Facilities Operations

10/15/07

G.

Page 9 of

13

Effective Date:

Reference Number:

12/15/07

IIB01-0007

1 or 6

February & Aug.

2 or 7

March & Sept.

3 or 8

April & October

4 or 9

May & November

7.

The inmates will be held accountable for submitting
their call allow list to their assigned facility
counselor in the appropriate months for review. The
facility must list the six-month phone review list
schedule in the Inmate Handbook or post in all
inmate living units.

8.

Once the data is entered, the call allow list,
including both the initial and updates, will be
placed
in
the
inmate/probationer’s
official
record/file and retained in accordance with the
official records retention schedule for that file.

Inmate/Probationer Responsibilities:
1.

The inmate/probationer is responsible for providing
accurate information regarding the call allow list
(Attachment I). Any inmate/probationer who gives
deceiving or deliberately inaccurate information in
an
effort
to
deviate
from/circumvent
these
established
procedures
shall
be
subject
to
disciplinary action through the inmate disciplinary
process (SOP IIB02-0001).

2.

The inmate/probationer is responsible for providing
accurate information regarding his/her attorney of
record and designating the number, as that of
his/her attorney to insure calls to the attorney are
not monitored and/or recorded.

3.

The inmate/probationer is responsible for using the
phone
system
in
accordance
with
operating
instructions. Misuse of the phone system, including
providing incorrect identification information (ID
number; name; etc.) or failing to follow directions
given through phone system prompts, will result in
disciplinary action which may include loss of phone
privileges in addition to other sanctions.

4.

The inmate/probationer is responsible for updating
his/her call allow list (Attachment I) if desired.
Every six months, during the months specified based
on the inmate/probationer’s identification number as
listed in the schedule in Section VI. F.6. of this

Functional Area:

Prev. Eff. Date:

Facilities Operations

10/15/07

Page 10 of

13

Effective Date:

Reference Number:

12/15/07

IIB01-0007

SOP, the inmate/probationer may complete a revised
call allow list and submit it to his/her assigned
counselor for processing.
5.

H.

The
inmate/probationer
will
obtain
the
Inmate/Probationer Telephone Trouble Report Form
(Attachment II) from the designated area in the
facility to report any problems with the inmate
phone system. This form will be used instead of the
standard Inmate Request Form to report trouble with
the inmate phone system. Once the form is completed
by the inmate/probationer, he/she will forward the
form
addressed
to
the
Inmate
Telephone
Site
Administrator via the internal facility Inmate Mail
system.

Staff Responsibilities:
1.

The inmate’s/probationer’s assigned counselor is
responsible
for
verifying
the
accuracy
and
completeness
of
information
on
the
inmate’s/probationer’s call allow list (Attachment
I), and the accuracy of the inmate’s/probationer’s
attorney
of
record
information.
The
inmate’s/probationer’s
assigned
counselor
must
verify the accuracy of the inmate’s/probationer’s
State I.D. number in order to ensure the correct
number is given to the Inmate Telephone Site
Administrator or designee who enters call allow list
data into the inmate telephone system. Additionally,
the counselor must ensure that no victim’s telephone
numbers are on the Call Allow List (Attachment One).

2.

Verifying the accuracy of the information given for
the
inmate/probationer
attorney
of
record
is
critical as, once approved, these calls WILL NOT be
Monitored/Recorded to ensure the confidentiality of
attorney/client privilege. Once verified, the call
allow list will be forwarded to the Warden or
designee for approval.

3.

The designated data entry staff/Site Administrator
will ensure that when an inmate’s/probationer’s
attorney of record or the Indigent Defense Council’s
number is entered into the computerized telephone
system, that the record feature of the system is
blocked for that number.

4.

The designated data entry staff/Site Administrator
is
responsible
for
accurately
entering
the

Functional Area:

Prev. Eff. Date:

Facilities Operations

10/15/07

Page 11 of

13

Effective Date:

Reference Number:

12/15/07

IIB01-0007

inmate/probationer telephone information within five
days of receipt.
5.

In the event an inmate/probationer experiences a
problem
with
a
telephone
number,
the
inmate/probationer will follow the procedure as
outlined
in
Section
VI.G.5
above.
The
Inmate/Telephone Trouble Report Form (Attachment II)
will
be
completed
and
forwarded
by
the
inmate/probationer to the Inmate Telephone Site
Administrator. The Site Administrator will address
the problems and respond to the inmate within five
days of receipt of the Trouble Report.

6.

Once the action on the Trouble Report is completed
by the Inmate Telephone Site Administrator, the
completed form will be kept on file by the Site
Administrator and be made available for audit
purposes. A copy of the Trouble Report form will be
returned to the inmate/probationer to inform the
inmate of the status of the problem reported.

7.

The
Inmate
Telephone
Site
Administrator
will
establish a logbook system to document telephone
system activity/information. The first two logbooks
will be maintained by the Inmate Telephone Site
Administrator
while
the
third
book
will
be
maintained at the facility entrance POST. Logs will
be established as follows:
a.

Establish a logbook to document all action by
the facility to report trouble (who reported,
what
was
reported,
when
reported,
where
reported, why reported and what action was
taken) or to document information received from
the telephone vendor on problems related to
inmate/probationer call allow lists or any
other problems.

b.

Establish a logbook to document all visits by
the
Contractor’s
Inmate
Phone
System
representatives (technician, trainer, etc.) to
the facility, to include date and time of
arrival, reason for visit, action taken and
time of departure. This logbook will be kept by
the Site Administrator to insure that he/she is
aware of IPS staff being in the facility and
activity taking place on the phone system as a
result of each visit.

Functional Area:

Prev. Eff. Date:

Facilities Operations

10/15/07

c.

Page 12 of

13

Effective Date:

Reference Number:

12/15/07

IIB01-0007

An after-hours logbook will be set-up in
Central Control or at the facility entrance
POST for IPS staff to sign when visiting the
facility after normal work hours.

I.

Transitional and Diversion Centers: A collect only and
coin operated telephone system is installed at these
facilities. This system does not have the security
features of the Inmate Telephone System requiring the
entry of a call allow list and will not have security
features such as monitoring or recording capability. The
telephone system will be programmed for a fifteen (15)
minute call limit. Transitional and Diversion Centers
will continue to utilize their established documentation
and procedures for access to telephones. Information
related to call allow lists in this SOP will not apply at
these facilities.

J.

Customer Service/Reporting of Telephone Problems:
1.

If calls are received at the facility from family
members of inmates or others regarding complaints
related to the Inmate Phone System, designated staff
at the facility will advise the caller to contact
the Families and Friends Customer Service Line at 1800-231-0193.

2.

If the facility experiences problems with the
telephone system that cannot be corrected by
facility personnel, the facility should contact the
Trouble Help Desk and open a trouble ticket. This
information should then be documented in the Inmate
Phone System Logbook.

3.

In the event a facility needs to place a block on a
telephone number at the request of a called party,
or for any other reason, the facility will contact
the Georgia Block Manager. This information should
also be recorded in the Inmate Phone System Logbook.

VII. RETENTION SCHEDULE:
Attachment 1: Once completed, this form will be placed in the
inmate/probationer administrative case history file and
retained according to the official records retention schedule
for that file.
Attachment 2: Once completed, the original of this form will
be kept on file by the Site Administrator for one year for
audit purposes and a copy will be returned to the

Functional Area:

Prev. Eff. Date:

Facilities Operations

10/15/07

Page 13 of

13

Effective Date:

Reference Number:

12/15/07

IIB01-0007

inmate/probationer. The original will be kept on file for one
year and then destroyed.
Attachment 3: Once completed, this form will be kept in a
confidential area in the Warden/Superintendent’s office and be
made available for audit purposes as specified in this SOP.