Cobb County Jail

Telephones

Interview with Harry, Qtip, Hanna, DoneMyTime, Linda, Missy and Josh


JM: Did you have regular access to telephones?
Harry: Yes, they give you access to the phones from 6:00am until 10:00 pm.
Qtip: Yes
Hanna: In the first POD they had two free telephone which had a list. You could only use it twice and you had to sign up for your time slot the night before. It also had one collect telephone. There were 5 phones, 3 worked. In the next POD all 5 phones worked but they were no longer free calls, they were all collect.
DoneMyTime: yes
Linda: YES
Missy: YES FROM 8:00 A.M. TO 11:00 P.M..
Josh: Yes. The Inmate Handbook indicates that the telephones are turned off at 10:00 p.m.; however, I found that the telephones in M-2 and L-2 were available from 9 a.m. to Midnight. All calls were collect calls and must be made to a land line. Some pods had free phones, but many did not and those that did often had inoperable phones. Telephone calls cut off after 30 minutes and automatically disconnect if the recipient attempts to dial other numbers.

JM: What types of charges applied for calling people?
Harry: You have to call collect; I believe it is a couple dollars even for a local call.
Qtip: 1.67 per call i believe
Hanna: If it was a local collect call, it was a dollar something for the first minute and .80 cents for every additional minute. The time limit on these calls was 30 minutes. And you had this annoying recording that came one three times during your 30 minutes which wasted you time slot. If you made a long distance call, it was $4.54 for the first minute and then $1.00 for every additional minute, with a 30 minute time limit as well.
DoneMyTime: collect only an average 30 minute call $32.00
Linda: LONG DISTANCE
Missy: 1.75 PER CALL.
Josh: The collect calls were assessed to the recipient and were approximately 7 cents per minute.

JM: Did you need to buy phone cards to call out?
Harry: No, it was all collect only.
Qtip: Nope
Hanna: No, but whom ever you where call on the outside could buy minutes to put on their phone so that it would work like a pre-paid phone.
DoneMyTime: no you are not allowed. that would be a fair thing to do so your loved ones don't have to pay expensive fees
Linda: MY FAMILY HAD TO ADD MIN. TO THEIR PHONE.
Missy: NO.
Josh: No. This is not permitted.

JM: Did the jail screen your calls?
Harry: I heard that they did monitor phone calls but was never caught saying or doing anything wrong.
Qtip: sure did
Hanna: Yes
DoneMyTime: yes, it says so on the recording
Linda: I'M PRETTY SURE THEY DID.
Missy: OF COURSE.
Josh: No, but they may be monitored as inidcated by a conspicuous disclosure.