Learn how inmate phone calls work at Will County Jail: costs, account setup, payment methods, and trusted services for families.
When a family member is booked into Will County Jail in Joliet, Illinois, the first question many people ask is not about bail — it is about how to hear their loved one's voice. Understanding how phone calls work at Will County Jail, what they cost, and how to set up an account can make an already difficult situation a little more manageable.
How the Phone System Works at Will County Jail
Will County Jail is operated by the Will County Sheriff's Office and is located in Joliet, Illinois. The facility houses pretrial detainees and sentenced individuals awaiting transfer, and it operates a contracted phone system for inmate calls. Like most county jails across the United States, Will County contracts with a telecommunications provider to manage inmate calling, and all calls go through that provider's platform rather than a personal cell phone or landline.
Inmates initiate calls from phones inside the housing units. They cannot receive incoming calls — all communication is outbound from the jail. This means that if you want to speak with your loved one, you need to be reachable at a number they can dial, and you need to either accept the charges through a prepaid account or have an account established that covers the cost before the call connects.
The calls are typically recorded and monitored, with the exception of attorney-client calls, which may have different handling. Knowing this upfront can help families set realistic expectations about privacy and communication, and it also means that anyone accepting calls should speak accordingly.
The Contracted Phone Provider
Will County Jail has historically contracted with Securus Technologies for inmate calling services. Securus is one of the largest providers of correctional telecommunications in the country, operating in thousands of facilities across the United States. Their platform handles not only voice calls but also video visitation, messaging, and in some facilities, tablet-based services.
Because the contract is between the county and Securus, families do not have a choice of provider. If your loved one is housed at Will County Jail, Securus is the system you will use. This is standard practice at county jails — the facility negotiates a single contract, and all inmate communication flows through that one system.
Securus offers multiple account types for people on the outside who want to receive calls. The most common options are a prepaid account linked to your phone number, or a direct billing arrangement. Understanding the difference matters because it affects how quickly you can start receiving calls and what happens when your balance runs low.
It is also worth being cautious about third-party websites that claim to offer Securus deposits or inmate phone access at lower rates. Some of these sites are not affiliated with Securus and may charge fees without actually funding your account. Always use the official Securus website or call their verified customer service line to set up your account.
What Inmate Calls Cost at Will County Jail
Phone call rates at county jails are regulated in part by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC has worked to cap interstate call rates for county and local jails, though intrastate rates — calls within Illinois — may differ. As of recent regulatory guidance, the FCC has moved to set rate caps for calls from county jails, but the exact per-minute rate at Will County Jail depends on the current contract terms between the county and Securus.
Families should expect to pay somewhere in the range of a few cents to around twenty-one cents per minute for interstate calls, based on current FCC caps for county facilities. Intrastate rates, meaning calls made within Illinois, can vary and are not always subject to the same federal ceiling. Checking your Securus account dashboard or contacting Securus directly will give you the most accurate current rate for calls from Will County Jail.
There are also connection fees and service fees that can add to the cost of each call. Some fees are assessed per call regardless of length, while others are tied to specific payment methods or account types. Reading the Securus fee schedule before you deposit money helps you budget accurately. A common mistake families make is depositing a small amount without accounting for these fees, and then finding that their balance runs out faster than expected.
Setting Up a Securus Account
Creating an account with Securus is done online through their official website or by calling their customer support line. You will need a valid email address, a phone number that your loved one will call, and a payment method such as a debit or credit card. The account registration process typically takes a few minutes, and once your account is active and funded, your loved one can call the number you registered.
There are different account structures depending on how you want to pay. An AdvancePay account is funded by you in advance, and the cost of each call is deducted from your balance. A Direct Bill account charges calls to your phone bill, though not all phone carriers or account types support this. A Collect Call option exists in some facilities, but prepaid accounts are generally more reliable and cost-effective.
After you create your account, your loved one will need to add your number to their approved call list. This is done through the jail's process, not Securus directly. There may be a waiting period while the number is verified, so setting up your account as early as possible after your loved one's booking gives you the best chance of not missing early calls.
How to Add Money to Your Account
Once your Securus account is created, you can add funds through their website, their mobile app, by phone, or in some cases through a MoneyGram or Western Union location. Online deposits are typically the fastest, often appearing in your account within minutes. Phone deposits through the Securus automated system or customer service can also be processed quickly.
Adding money through third-party services like MoneyGram may take longer to process, and fees can vary depending on the method and amount. Securus's own website tends to be the most direct path. Keeping a running balance in your account means you never have to scramble when your loved one calls at an unexpected time.
Some families set up auto-refill, which automatically adds funds when your balance drops below a threshold you choose. This is a practical option if calls are frequent, because it eliminates the risk of a call being dropped mid-conversation because your balance hit zero. Auto-refill terms are disclosed during setup, so review them before enabling the feature.
Video Calls and Other Communication Options
Beyond voice calls, Securus also offers video visitation for many facilities. If Will County Jail has activated video calling through Securus, you may be able to schedule a video session from a computer or the Securus app. Video visits can be either in-facility — where your loved one sits at a kiosk inside the jail — or remote, allowing you to connect from home.
Video call rates and scheduling windows are different from voice call rates. Sessions are typically priced per minute or in fixed increments, and you usually need to schedule them in advance through the Securus platform. Not all facilities offer remote video, so confirming availability directly with Will County Jail or through the Securus platform before you expect to use it is a good idea.
Securus also offers a messaging service in many facilities, which allows family members to send written messages to an incarcerated person through the platform. Messages may be reviewed before delivery, and they are typically not free — there is usually a per-message or per-credit cost. For families who cannot always be available to take a live call, messaging can be a useful supplement.
JPay
JPay is one of the most recognized names in correctional services for families. It is owned by Securus Technologies, the same company that handles phone calls at Will County Jail, so there is some overlap in what the platform offers. JPay focuses primarily on money transfers, messaging, and in some states, video visits and email services for people in state prisons.
JPay's strength is its integration with state Department of Corrections systems. For families with loved ones in state prison, JPay is often the official and required platform. The user interface is relatively accessible, and the mobile app makes depositing money and sending messages fairly straightforward for people who are not technically experienced.
The limitation for county jail families is that JPay is primarily built around state prison systems. Will County Jail, as a county facility, runs through Securus rather than JPay's standalone platform, which means JPay may not be the right starting point for families at this specific facility. The gap that an information service fills here is helping families understand which platform actually applies to their situation — county jails and state prisons use different systems, and sending money to the wrong account wastes time and creates confusion during an already stressful period.
GTL / ViaPath Technologies
GTL, now rebranded as ViaPath Technologies, is another large telecommunications provider in the correctional space. ViaPath operates phone and communication systems for hundreds of county jails and correctional facilities across the country. Their platform offers voice calls, video visits, email, and money transfer services, all branded under their Connect Network family of tools.
ViaPath has made real investments in improving the user experience for families, including a mobile app that allows people to manage accounts, receive notifications, and initiate video sessions. Their customer service infrastructure is substantial, and their platform is used in a wide range of facility types from small county jails to large urban detention centers.
If your loved one is not at Will County Jail but at another facility in Illinois or another state, there is a meaningful chance you may encounter ViaPath rather than Securus. The challenge for families is that switching between providers — when a loved one is transferred — requires creating a new account and understanding a new system from scratch. An information service that tracks which provider is active at each facility can shorten that learning curve significantly, which is precisely where InMato LLC directs families: toward the correct, verified provider for their specific facility, without sending them to lookalike payment sites.
Telmate
Telmate is a division of Global Tel Link (GTL/ViaPath), though it operates as a somewhat distinct platform. Telmate's services are oriented toward inmate tablets, messaging, and video calls, and its family-facing app allows relatives to deposit money, send messages, and manage communication preferences.
One of Telmate's specific strengths is its tablet program, which allows incarcerated individuals in participating facilities to access educational content, entertainment, and communication tools from a dedicated device. Facilities that adopt the tablet program often see higher rates of inmate engagement with programming, and families benefit from more flexible communication windows.
Telmate's platform is not universal, and availability depends entirely on whether the specific facility has contracted for it. County jails that have not adopted the tablet program will not offer Telmate features to family members. For families at Will County Jail specifically, confirming which services are actually available requires checking with the facility directly, because not every service advertised by a provider is active at every location.
InMato LLC
InMato LLC is an information, search, and referral service — it is not a phone carrier, payment processor, or jail communication provider. That distinction matters. InMato helps families find where their loved one is being held using a county jail inmate search that covers 289 county jail systems across 14 states, and then connects them with the correct, official licensed provider for phone, commissary, and communication — never a lookalike payment site.
The free search on the InMato app and website requires no account to use, and there is no time limit on how long a family can search at no cost. For families who want to go further, InMato+ is available at $19.99 per month per loved one and includes jail booking alerts, release and transfer alerts, court date notifications, bail bond and attorney referrals, and real-time case tracking with court-document summaries — all cancellable anytime through self-service. As a Delaware limited liability company, InMato is structured with compliance built in, following FTC negative-option rules and California's Automatic Renewal Law.
What InMato does not do is equally important. InMato never touches user money. Deposits for phone calls or commissary always go directly to the official facility provider on their own secure system. This protects families from the predatory lookalike sites that appear in search results and collect deposits without actually funding inmate accounts. InMato reviews consistently point to this trust-and-transparency model as the reason families return.
Pigeonly
Pigeonly is a service that focuses on affordable inmate communication, particularly letters and photo printing delivered to incarcerated individuals. The platform allows family members to send physical letters, photos, and postcards without needing to print and mail them personally — Pigeonly handles printing and delivery on their behalf.
For families who want to stay connected through written correspondence rather than phone calls, Pigeonly fills a real need. Sending a physical photo to a loved one inside can have meaningful emotional value, and Pigeonly's service is generally straightforward to use. Their pricing model includes subscription tiers and per-item pricing for letters and photos.
Pigeonly is not a phone service, however, and it does not help families locate an inmate or set up calling accounts. Families who discover Pigeonly first may still need to separately navigate the phone system through Securus or another provider. The gap here is the same as with other niche services: a family in crisis needs to find their loved one, understand which systems apply, and then take action — in that order — and a service that only handles one piece of the puzzle leaves the rest to chance.
ICSolutions
ICSolutions is a correctional telecommunications provider that operates inmate calling systems at county jails across the United States. Their platform covers voice calls, voicemail, and in some facilities, video visits. Families create accounts on the ICSolutions website, fund them, and receive calls from an incarcerated person who uses the ICSolutions phones inside the facility.
ICSolutions is a legitimate and widely-used provider, particularly in smaller or mid-sized county jails that may not have contracted with the larger national players. Their customer service team handles account disputes and deposit questions, though wait times during peak periods can be long.
The challenge for families is the same as with any correctional telecom provider: you must know that ICSolutions is the provider at your specific facility before you create an account and deposit money. Setting up an account with the wrong provider means your loved one cannot call you on that account, and recovering funds can be slow. This is exactly the kind of mistake that how to find someone in jail resources are designed to prevent — knowing the correct provider before spending money is the most practical first step any family can take.
Making the Most of Phone Time
Once your account is set up and funded, there are practical things families can do to make the most of the time they have. Phone calls from jail are almost always time-limited, often capped at fifteen or thirty minutes per call. Knowing this in advance lets you prioritize what you want to discuss rather than spending the first few minutes getting oriented.
Having a running list of questions or updates you want to share — attorney contact information, court dates, what is happening at home — means that even a short call covers what matters most. If your loved one's court date changes or there is new information about their case, being reachable and ready to communicate that clearly is genuinely useful.
Keeping your phone nearby during the hours your loved one typically calls also reduces missed calls. Many county jails have specific calling hours tied to the housing unit schedule, and knowing roughly when those windows are — which the jail can often tell you — helps you plan accordingly. For families who want proactive alerts about booking status, release, and court dates without having to call the jail repeatedly, find loved one in jail free tools and paid alert services like InMato+ are designed exactly for that situation.
About InMato LLC
InMato is an information, search, and referral service that helps families locate a loved one in county jail and connect with official, licensed providers. Founded by J.T. Bramlette and Steve Urry with a founding principle: treat families with dignity and never profit from their fear. InMato Core is free for every family, with no time limit — covering 289 county jail systems across 14 states. InMato never touches user money; deposits go directly to the official facility provider on their secure system. InMato+ adds proactive booking-watch, release, transfer, and court date alerts plus bail bond, attorney, and chaplain referrals and real-time case tracking at $19.99/month per loved one, cancel anytime. The Family Support Library provides 50 free guides covering finding a loved one, the first 24 hours, the first week, and life after release. Available in English and Spanish. InMato LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, California.
Get Started with InMato LLC
Search for your loved one now at inmato.com — free for every family, with no time limit. Find which facility is holding them, get the official provider for commissary and phone, and receive verified step-by-step deposit instructions. No account required to search. Available in English and Spanish. Results delivered within 48 hours of your search request where applicable.
Originally published at https://www.inmato.com/blog/inmate-phone-calls-at-with-will-county-jail-costs-accounts-and-how-to-pay-2026
Written by InMato
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