InmateSales

Review by eFreeware

InmateSales is a free Android app that puts an existing account in your pocket. Instead of working through a website or a phone call, you can manage the account, put money toward products and, where a facility allows it, arrange video sessions and send emails. The developer, Combined Public Communication LLC, has aimed this at people who already deal with a correctional facility's communication services and want a direct way to handle the account side of it.

The most distinctive thing here is the scope of what it covers in one place: deposits, video scheduling and email, all tied to a single account. That combination is what makes it more than a payment tool, and it is the reason I would expect it to appeal to family members and friends keeping in touch with someone at a participating facility.

It is not a general-purpose messaging app, and the developer is upfront that support varies by location. Not every facility offers every product or service, so what you can do in the app depends on where the person you are supporting is held. That framing matters before you install it.

Deposits are the core of the app

The feature the developer leads with is deposits. You can put money toward products at certain facilities, which is the practical heart of the app for most people who would use it. Rather than a separate trip to a website or a call, the deposit happens against your own account.

What I appreciate about that approach is the account model. Everything you do is tied to one login rather than scattered across different tools, so your activity sits together. For anyone who makes deposits regularly, that consolidation is the main draw.

Deposits apply at certain facilities, not all of them. Before counting on the app for this, you would want to confirm that the facility you are dealing with is among those it supports.

Video sessions and email where facilities allow

Beyond deposits, the app covers two more ways to stay in contact. Where the facility permits, you can send emails and book video sessions. These are the features that turn the app from a payment tool into something closer to a communication hub.

Scheduling a video session from a phone is the sort of thing that saves coordination. If the facility allows video visits, arranging one through the same account you use for deposits keeps the process in one place. Email works the same way, as another channel tied to your account rather than a separate service.

Again, availability is the deciding factor. The developer notes that not all facilities support all products and services, so video and email are possibilities rather than guarantees. Their usefulness depends entirely on the rules at the specific facility involved.

What the app asks of you

The app is free to download, carries no ads and offers no in-app purchases. That keeps the experience uncluttered. The money involved is the money you choose to deposit.

What it does require is an InmateSales account and a facility that supports the services you want to use. Coverage varies, so the app is only as useful as the facility's participation allows. If the person you are supporting is at a location that does not take part, the app will not change that.

The interface was recently updated with user interface improvements, which suggests the developer is still refining how the app works. The 3.6 average from 1,556 ratings points to a mixed reception, and with over 500,000 installs there is a substantial base of people using it.

A focused tool for supported facilities

InmateSales does one job and does it within clear boundaries: it manages an InmateSales account, handles deposits and, where allowed, covers video scheduling and email. It is free, it is not cluttered with advertising, and it keeps everything under one account. For someone already using InmateSales services at a participating facility, that is a straightforward proposition.

The limits are the facility's rules, not the app's design. This is a tool for people who know their facility is covered, or who are willing to check before relying on it.

If that describes your situation, the app is a sensible way to handle deposits and stay in contact from your phone. If the facility does not support the services, no app can bridge that gap, and the same applies here.

What's new in version 1.10.1-b605150303

User Interface Improvements