Phone & Video Calls in Maine (Maine DOC)

Unlike most states, Maine does not use Securus or ViaPath for its state prisons. The state-prison phone system runs through Legacy Inmate Communications, and Maine has layered on a nonprofit provider, Ameelio, that offers free communication at some facilities.

Phone Calls

Calls are placed by the incarcerated person to numbers they have set up, using a PIN; a family member cannot call in. Maine’s state-prison prepaid rate has been reported at about nine cents a minute (roughly $1.35 for a 15-minute call), and a 2022 state law capped prison calls at the federal rate and banned connection and early-termination fees. Other call types, such as collect calls, can cost more, and reported rates can lag the current contract — so confirm the rate in the calling system before relying on a number.

Maine also runs a partial free-call program: a resident with less than $10 in their account receives 30 free minutes a week to call family and 30 free minutes a week to call an attorney. A 2025 bill to make all calls free did not become law.

Families fund calling either by depositing to the resident’s phone account through the state deposit portal — see Sending Money — or by setting up a prepaid account with the phone vendor. Calls are recorded and may be monitored, except attorney–client calls, which are not. On release, unused phone-account funds are returned to the resident.

Video Visits

Some Maine facilities offer free video calls through Ameelio. Maine deployed Ameelio’s full suite — video, voice, and messaging — beginning at the Maine Correctional Center and the Southern Maine Women’s Reentry Center, with the provider describing a rollout to the remaining facilities; whether free Ameelio video has reached every prison is worth confirming for the specific facility. Where Ameelio is not the option, a paid video visit runs through the vendor’s platform at a published per-session rate.

For any video visit, the visitor must be approved through the visitor application and background check first, and visits are scheduled in advance (generally at least two business days ahead). The approval process is in Visiting in Maine.

Tablets and Messaging

Maine DOC issues tablets as a privilege in approved housing units; access depends on privilege level and disciplinary history. On a department tablet, text messaging is limited to short, text-only messages with no photos or video, and all messaging is monitored. Where Ameelio is deployed, e-messaging and calls are free; other messaging is priced per message. Because the free-versus-paid picture depends on which system a facility runs, confirm what is available at the facility before relying on it.

If Someone Is in a County Jail

A person serving a shorter sentence, or held before trial, may be in a county jail, which contracts its own phone vendor — most Maine counties use Securus, a few use ViaPath — at rates well above the state’s. County jails were not required to drop to the lowest rate. Confirm where the person is held and that jail’s vendor and rates before setting up an account.

Verify Before Acting

For the general, nationwide overview of this topic, see the national guide: Staying in Touch.