Phone & Video Calls in North Dakota (ND DOCR)

How phone calls work

North Dakota DOCR’s phone vendor is Securus Technologies, and families set up and fund accounts through Securus. Set up an account at securustech.net or by calling Securus at 1-800-844-6591. The per-minute call rate is set in the vendor contract and is subject to change, so confirm the current rate with Securus before funding an account.

Before a resident can call a particular number, that resident is added to the calling arrangement through a Telephone Application. The application is submitted online through forms.nd.gov or completed on a printable PDF and mailed to Securus. The resident places the call; families cannot call in. To receive calls, set up a Securus account and have the resident’s full committed name and ID number ready. Securus lists the service fees that apply to deposits and account transactions; review those fees at the point of payment, as they are charged in addition to call costs.

Video visits

North Dakota DOCR offers video visits through Securus, scheduled and conducted at www.videovisitanywhere.com. Video visitation is a separate product from in-person visiting; the approved-visitor-list and scheduling rules for in-person visits are covered separately and do not govern video sessions. Because the video service and any per-session price are set by the vendor and change, confirm the current cost and any equipment or app requirements with Securus before booking, and confirm what is offered for the specific facility.

Electronic messaging

North Dakota DOCR uses Securus electronic messaging (eMessaging), sent through securustech.net. Each resident has a Securus tablet — referred to as the resident’s “player” — on which electronic messages appear. The player is also the device through which scanned personal mail is delivered. (Incoming personal mail is scanned off-site before it reaches the player — see Mail.) Per-message and per-item prices are set by the vendor and change, so confirm them through securustech.net before sending.

Sending money

Calls, video visits, electronic messaging, and the trust account that funds them are funded separately, and money runs through a different vendor than communications. For depositing to a trust account — through JPay — see Sending Money.

Verify Before Acting

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