Address:
425 6th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35205
Phone:
205-254-6369
An inmate in the Birmingham City Jail can call you using one or more of the following three methods, however during booking the facility allows each offender at least one free call to a friend, family member or bond company.
1. If your phone service - usually your land line - accepts collect calls, then they can call you collect. Note: Mobile phones don't usually accept collect calls.
2. The Birmingham City Jail's commissary will sell your inmate a pre-paid calling card from GTL / Viapath that they can use to phone you or others.
3. The inmate can call you using credits or money that you or someone else purchases from GTL / Viapath. Call 877-650-4249 to get information on how to set this up by phone.
When your inmate is booked into Birmingham City Jail, they provide a list of a limited number of people that they will allow to visit them and make phone calls to. These must be approved by the facility first.
Further information, including cost, daily phone call limits and times of the day and evening when calls can be made, including a complete list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers, is below.
To get started you must first open an account with GTL Connect Network (aka Viapath Technologies)
There are dozens of third-party for profit companies working with Birmingham City Jail and other jails in Alabama to provide a way for inmates to phone friends and families at rates that are much less than what jails have been known to charge in the past.
The lower rates come at a cost to inmates though, as most of the profit from these calls pay for other benefits such as television and both indoor and outdoor recreational services from board games to sports and workout equipment.
To find out what phone service is being used for inmates housed in Jefferson County, call 205-254-6369, or if the phone service is not noted above, click on one of these companies below, each of which provide service for jails in the state of Alabama:
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PRE-PAYING
Using GTL you have the option of either:
- pre-paying directly into your inmate's account where they decide who to call, or
- pre-paying, where you control all phone costs and all calls come only to you.
Prepaid Option #1
If you deposit money online in the INMATE ACCOUNT, than they have the freedom to spend the money on phone calls to anyone, or any other communications services available at Birmingham City Jail.
Prepaid Option #2
With the FRIENDS & FAMILY ACCOUNT, you control all communication services such as phone calls, video visits and messaging. Your inmate can only call the phone number you want.
Can I call an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail?
Can I leave a message for an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail?
Can an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail call me?
Can an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail call their friends?
How do I accept collect calls from an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail?
How much am I charged for accepting a collect call from the Birmingham City Jail?
Who should I contact if I’m having difficulty receiving collect calls from the jail or prison?
How much does it cost for an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail to call me?
What times are inmates in the Birmingham City Jail allowed to make phone calls?
How often can inmates in the Birmingham City Jail make phone calls?
What is the inmate telephone service for the Birmingham City Jail?
What are the phone companies that facilitate phone calls with jails and prisons?
Can an inmate text me from the phones in the Birmingham City Jail?
Can an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail buy calling cards?
What is the most that an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail can spend on phone calls?
Do I need a credit card to purchase phone credits for an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail?
What is the difference between a phone call and a video call?
Can inmates in the Birmingham City Jail use their cell phone?
Is it illegal for an inmate to use a cell phone in the Birmingham City Jail?
No, you cannot call an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail. You can however call 205-254-6369, or search online to see if your inmate is in custody.
When an offender is first arrested and is being booked into jail, they are allowed one or two free phone calls to notify friends or family of their situation. If they are unable to notify someone at that point, they can try again, this time it will be a collect call that you will have to pay for if your phone service allows you to receive collect calls, once they are classified, processed, dressed and brought to their unit.
However, if the phone they call is a cell phone, which normally do not allow the receipt of collect calls, or your phone service does not allow for collect calls, then you will not be able to receive any phone calls from them until you purchase phone credits from the Birmingham City Jail’s inmate calling system.
The inmate phone information for this is located above, at the top of this page. If that information is missing, it is because the facility recently changed companies and you can get the updated details by calling 205-254-6369.
It is rare that a jail (or prison) will accept messages for an inmate. Of all the thousands of jails in the United States there are probably less than one hundred that have a message line. Jails in the state of Minnesota are the one exception.
There are two other exceptions to this rule:
1. The Birmingham City Jail will accept a message if there is a family emergency such as a death in the family. In a case like this the message will be conveyed by a jail chaplain or someone that is very high ranking in leadership. Inmates are already under a lot of stress and emotion, and the staff realizes this. It is for this reason they will be very careful how they pass the message along and being watchful afterwards.
2. Many of the inmate phone systems used by jails allow for messages to be left for a small fee, usually less than $1.00 for a minute. It is done in the form of a voicemail from you. To see if the Birmingham City Jail offers that service call the phone company at the top of this page or call the jail at 205-254-6369.
Yes, an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail can call you using any of the following three ways:
1. The inmate can call you ‘collect’ if your phone service accepts collect calls.
2. The inmate can call you using a prepaid calling card that they can purchase from the jail’s inmate commissary.
3. The inmate can call you using credits or money that you or someone else purchases from the jail’s inmate phone service. This information can be found at the top of this page.
If you can’t find this jail’s phone service - outlined above - it means that they may have recently changed it. Call the jail at 205-254-6369 to get the information you need.
Also, it is becoming standard that when an inmate is booked in jail, they must make a list of a limited number of people that they will allow to visit them and/or make phone calls to. If the Birmingham City Jail requires this, then you will have to be on their list to receive phone calls from your inmate.
Yes. If a person is on the inmate’s approved phone contact list and the person accepts a collect call, or the inmate has funds on their prepaid card or phone account, there are no restrictions based on whether the person and inmate are related or not.
The only exception to that is if you, as the person who funds their inmate phone account, puts restrictions on the account, so that the account can only be used to communicate with you and not other people. This allows you and not the Birmingham City Jail to control who the inmate can speak with.
When you receive a collect call from the jail, you will first hear a recording that the call is a collect call and coming from a jail and the person’s spoken name. You will then be asked to respond with a prompt or by voicing “yes” that you agree to accept the call. At that point you can either accept it or refuse it.
If you continue to get calls from the jail and don’t want to receive them anymore, you can contact your phone service and request that that number be blocked.
The cost of a collect call is the most expensive call that you can make (or take). In fact, the cost (per minute) for a collect call can often exceed the cost of an international call.
Expect to pay about $1.00 to 1.50 per minute for a collect call. Compared to the cost of a call going through the inmate phone service that the jail contracts with, ‘collect calls’ can be five to ten times more expensive.
If you are having difficulties receiving collect calls from the Birmingham City Jail contact your own personal phone service. Keep in mind that your land line service provider is not the same as your cell phone service provider.
The federal government limits the cost of a phone call from any jail in the United States to $0.21 per minute. This is true whether the inmate is using a prepaid card or one of their friends or family members have contracted with the phone service that the jail recommends.
In general, most of these companies are honest and trustworthy. The complete list can be found by scrolling down this page further.
There are independent companies that you can find and purchase phone time from that have fees as low as $0.05 to $0.10 per minute. They usually accomplish this by selling you blocks of time that you may never use, or they have exorbitant fees in other areas. Be a smart consumer and study these offers carefully.
In general, inmates in the Birmingham City Jail can make phone calls between the time when breakfast ends until ‘lights out’ at the end of the evening.
They will not allow phone calls to be made during meals, head counts, lockdowns or during shift changes.
Inmates who are workers (trustees), are on work release or have other responsibilities are also limited to when they can make phone calls, as their schedules take priority over personal time.
In general, other than during scheduled events, you can communicate by phone between the hours of 7:30AM and 10:00PM.
There is no limit to how often an inmate can make phone calls. They are limited only by how much money you are willing to give them to add phone time.
When and if there are limits, the limits never apply to phone time with their lawyer or legal matters related to their criminal court case.
There are some jails and prisons that limit how much an inmate can spend on phone calls, specifically inmates in the United States Federal Bureau of Prisons, which limits federal prisoners to a $300 'phone spend' every month.
The inmate telephone service for this facility can be found at the top of this page. If the information is missing that means that the facility recently changed carriers and has not updated the information. In that case, call the jail at 205-254-6369 to get the answers to your questions.
Each of these phone companies provide similar services, and each cannot charge more than $0.21 per minute for domestic calls, however it is a very competitive industry due to the size of the market in which their customers are literally ‘captive’ in every sense of the word.
Amtel Phones
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
Correct Solutions Group
Correct Pay
Ctel
Gettingout
GTL
Homewav
ICSolutions
Inmate Canteen
Inmate Sales
Lattice (nexus telephone)
NCIC
Paytel
Prodigy Solutions
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Tiger
No. Inmates in the Birmingham City Jail cannot text from the phones, but more and more jails are bringing in a text service for inmates that can work from kiosks and tablets in their units. For more information, check out the email and text page.
Almost every jail gives inmates and their contacts to either purchase calling cards from commissary or buy phone credits and time online from their phone service. There remain a few jails that still only allow collect calls which is an unfair financial burden on inmates and their families.
To see if the Birmingham City Jail allows the purchase of phone cards, check the information at the top of this page or call the jail at 205-254-6369.
There is no limit to how often an inmate can make phone calls. They are limited only by how much money you are willing to give them to add phone time.
There are some jails and prisons that limit how much an inmate can spend on phone calls, specifically inmates in the United States Bureau of Prisons, which limits federal prisoners to a $300 spend every month, however during the holiday months that number is increased to $400 per month.
Of the dozens of phone companies listed above that do business with the jails and prisons, there are only a few that have a way for you to use cash to purchase phone credits or phone time from them, usually in an ATM machine at check cashing outlets, and only a couple that have a way for you to fund an inmate phone account by mailing them a money order or cashier check.
If you don’t have a credit or debit card from a bank, you can always get a prepaid one at thousands of check cashing locations across the country.
Most jails also have a way for inmates to purchase prepaid phone cards from their commissary. These jails usually allow the inmate’s trust account to be funded with postal money orders, negating the need for having a credit or debit card altogether.
Call 205-254-6369 to see if the Birmingham City Jail’s commissary has prepaid phone cards or check out the commissary page.
A video call is no different than a video visit. It allows both the inmate and their approved contacts to see each other during the conversation. This is becoming the preferred method for inmates and their friends and family members to communicate, as visual contact communicates on a different level than just the voice.
Jails and prisons that have the option of video calls and video visits also most likely have handheld tablets for inmate use. This gives the inmate the ability to communicate from their cell or a remote corner of the unit, which adds a level of privacy that a kiosk on the wall does not offer.
To see if Birmingham City Jail offers video calls, go to the Visitation page for information. If you can’t find it there, it may be because this facility recently changed companies, so you can call the jail at 205-254-6369 for details on how to arrange video calls.
No, they cannot use their cell phone.
Inmates have their cell phones taken from them when they are initially booked into jail and will not get them back until they are released, provided the phone is/was not kept by the arresting agency as evidence in a criminal investigation.
Cell phones are considered contraband and a security risk to a jail or prison. All communication: Written, spoken or video, other than an inmate’s communication with their lawyer, are monitored by the facility.
If an inmate is caught with a cell phone that has somehow been smuggled into a jail, the inmate will be charged with a crime. It is considered more serious than being caught with drugs, as a cell phone can be used to intimidate potential witnesses, arrange an escape or run a criminal enterprise outside of the jail’s walls.
It is unlikely that you can get charged with a crime for communicating with an inmate using a cell phone while incarcerated in the Birmingham City Jail.
That said, if it is found that you knowingly were doing it, you could have your visitation or phone privileges suspended, or even permanently terminated by the jail.
If you were involved in the smuggling of the phone, that is a criminal offense. It may also be a crime if you were adding ‘minutes’ onto a prepaid phone that you knew was smuggled into the jail and was being used for illegal purposes.
If you were unable to find the information you were looking for on this page, call GTL Connect Network at 877-650-4249 and ask their policies on getting phone calls from your inmate at Birmingham City Jail.
You can contact GTL online by using this online form to ask a question.
How do I open an inmate phone account at the Birmingham City Jail?
The Birmingham City Jail uses a third-party phone service called GTL Connect Network. If you want to communicate by phone with your inmate, you have to first open an account with GTL. They have three different types of accounts: (1)AdvancePay - which is a prepaid collect calling service which allows an inmate to call your phone number using funds that you deposit. (2)PIN Debit - which allows an inmate to call direct to anyone they choose using money that you have deposited for them, or they can use money from their commissary or trust account to purchase prepaid phone credits. (3)Inmate Voicemail - In order to leave a voicemail for your inmate you must have an active AdvancePay Account. To leave a voicemail message you will call a local number that Birmingham City Jail has set up, select their Inmate ID, then record the message you want to leave them. To find out the phone number you call to leave a message, call Birmingham City Jail at 205-254-6369 or call GTL Connect Network at 877-650-4249. Learn more about how to get phone calls from an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail.
How much does it cost for an inmate to make a phone call from the Birmingham City Jail?
Phone call rates from your inmate in the Birmingham City Jail to you vary and are subject to change, but in general the costs are as follows: AdvancePay Phone Calls - $0.21 per minute. PIN Debit Phone Calls - $0.21 per minute. Traditional Collect Phone Calls - $0.25 per minute. VOICEMAIL Message (one minute max) - $1.00 per minute. Learn more about how much phone calls cost in the Birmingham City Jail, or call GTL Connect Network at 877-650-4249.
Can inmate phone calls from the Birmingham City Jail connect to my mobile phone number?
Yes. When an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail calls you using a GTL Connect Network phone service's AdvancePay or PIN Debit account, the calls can connect to your cell phone. Learn more about how to set up a phone account for an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail.
Why is my Birmingham City Jail phone status blocked?
If your phone status at the Birmingham City Jail is showing being BLOCKED, there could be several reasons for this: (1)There are not enough funds on your AdvancePay or PIN Debit Account, (2)You have a new telephone number, and a restriction could be on your line, (3)You may have accidentally pressed the incorrect number when attempting to accept the incoming call and you may have blocked your line, (4)In the past you may have requested to have a block placed on your phone and you never had it removed. On any of these issues of your phone being blocked, you can resolve them by calling GTL Connect Network at 877-650-4249. Learn more about how to unblock a phone in the Birmingham City Jail.
Are phone calls with an inmate at the Birmingham City Jail recorded?
Yes. All phone calls with an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail are recorded. All calls except those with their lawyer. Everything you say and do are going to be heard and recorded by the jail staff. If you discuss your inmate's pending criminal case or any criminal activity, you can be assured that the conversation will end up being sent to the prosecutor and/or other law enforcement. Learn more about inmate phone calling privacy tips with an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail.
How do I control all phone calls with an inmate in Birmingham City Jail?
In order to have full control over the phone expenses and who your inmate can call while in the Birmingham City Jail, you need to open a GTL AdvancePay phone account. With this type of account, when you deposit money, your inmate can only call your phone number. However, since your inmate can also purchase prepaid phone time through commissary, they can use the prepaid account to phone whoever they choose, as long as the person or number is not blocked by Birmingham City Jail. Learn more about how to control your inmate's phone calls in the Birmingham City Jail.
How do I make a deposit into a Birmingham City Jail inmate's phone account?
GTL Connect network has five different options for making deposits for your inmate's phone account: (1) Online, at the GTL Connect network website. (2) By phone - Call - 877-650-4249. (3) At the Birmingham City Jail lobby kiosk. (4) By mailing a check or money order to: AdvancePay Service Department - P.O. Box 911722 - Denver, CO 80291-1722. (5) Walk-in retail locations such as Western Union Quick Collect [Blue Form], Walmart, ACE, Kmart, Kroger, and more. Learn more about how to deposit money for an inmate's phone account in the Birmingham City Jail.
Who is ViaPath Technologies?
GTL Connect Network and their sister company GTL gettingout are currently undergoing a merger and rebranding into a single entity called ViaPath Technologies. During this transition, all of the current services, links and prices will remain the same. Birmingham City Jail, and family members and friends of inmates will not see any changes during the transition, as it will be a slow, measured, seamless process. The end result will be a more responsive company with even better services for you and your inmates.
Do inmates in the Birmingham City Jail have access to tablets?
Yes. Birmingham City Jail is transitioning to having free tablets available to all inmates for basic services. In addition, you will be able to purchase tablet subscriptions which will include, music, movie streaming, educational programming, legal research and more. Learn more about how to rent a tablet for an inmate in the Birmingham City Jail.
