Inmate Communication

The Carteret County Detention Center provides inmates access to telephone services through a contractual relationship with a third party vendor, which currently is Paytel. All calls are recorded and subject to monitoring by detention facility staff due to security concerns including:

• Protecting victims and potential witnesses from harassing telephone calls
• Reducing opportunities for continued criminal activities from inside the jail, including threats to others
• Helping reduce the potential for escape

Upon admission into the facility following an individual's arrest, he or she is permitted to make a free local one-minute telephone call to inform family members, friends, or attorneys that he or she has been arrested. If an individual is not able to make bond and be released from custody, he or she will have daily access to a telephone up to two times daily, but no less than once per week; provided he or she abides by the detention center's rules; cooperates with the detention center staff; and otherwise behaves in a socially acceptable manner. Access to the telephone is not a right, but rather a privilege, and as such, this privilege may be regulated and/or terminated accordingly.

The detention center vendor, Paytel, will allow an inmate's first collect telephone call to go through free and can last no longer than one minute. After the one minute phone call, all calls become collect calls or if the inmate has money on his or her account they can make a debit call. Anyone wishing to accept telephone calls from an inmate will have to contact Paytel directly and establish an account with them. Do not call the detention center, as we are unable to assist you.

Once you have established an account, you can receive collect calls from an inmate. As the recipient of the call, if you agree to accept the call, you are responsible for payment of the call. If you do not want someone from the jail calling you, DO NOT ACCEPT THE CALL and you will not be charged.

If you no longer wish to receive calls from an inmate at the Carteret County Detention Center, please contact the detention center administrator or Paytel Communications by calling 1-800-729-8355 to have your number blocked.  Once you have done this, you must contact Paytel Communications directly to have the block removed from your phone.