Inmate paging for correctional facilities

ADA Paging for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Inmates

Page any deaf or hard of hearing inmate straight from the officer’s station, and keep a court-ready record of every message sent. No internet required.

No internet required · timestamped message logs · no monthly fees

Used daily by over 5,000 inmates nationwide
The real reason facilities buy

Built for ADA compliance in corrections

Under the ADA, correctional facilities must give deaf and hard of hearing inmates an equally effective way to receive the information hearing inmates get by intercom and announcement. Most agencies come to us during a lawsuit, settlement, or compliance review, and they need two things: a system that works, and proof that it does.

The Requirement

Effective communication and equal access to programs, counts, medical calls, and emergency notifications for deaf and hard of hearing inmates.

The Solution

A tamper-resistant watch pager on every deaf or hard of hearing inmate, so staff reach any inmate, group, or whole unit with a message on the wrist.

The Proof

Every message is logged with a timestamp, sender, and recipient, and exports to CSV or HTML for audits, court monitors, and settlements.

How it works

One screen controls every watch

From a single computer at the officer's station, staff pick a message or type one, choose who gets it, and send. Nobody walks the unit to find someone first.

One inmate

Page a single inmate on their own watch, and the log names them and nobody else.

A group or the whole unit

Every watch in the housing unit, or any group you define, in one send.

Facility-wide emergency

Every pager at once for a lockdown, an evacuation, or an emergency count.

Off an approved list

As many preset messages as you care to define, plus free text for what a list can't cover.

On the wrist

The inmate feels it and reads it

Each deaf or hard of hearing inmate wears a rugged watch pager. When a message arrives, it vibrates and displays the text on screen, clear even across a loud, crowded unit.

  • Sealed, tamper-resistant, and staff-PIN protected
  • Rechargeable and built for daily correctional use
  • Reassigned and reprogrammed when an inmate moves
Set it once

Automate the daily routine

Set the 6:00 a.m. wake-up call once and it sends itself every morning, to every watch in the unit, without an officer having to remember it.

  • Count time, chow, and medication calls on schedule
  • Cleaning, yard, and program reminders
  • Frees officers to focus on the floor, not the clock
06:00

Wake-up

Every watch in the unit, every morning.

11:45

Chow

Staggered by housing unit if you need it.

16:00

Count time

Return to your bunk, sent unit-wide.

20:30

Pill call

Med line, without an officer walking the tier.

On the record

Every message, documented

The system logs every page automatically, with the time, the wording, the recipient, and who sent it. Export the full history whenever your legal team needs it.

  • Timestamped record of every message sent
  • One-click export to CSV or HTML
  • Ready for court monitors and settlement reporting
Message history — Housing Unit B — Today
TimeSent byToMessage
16:00:09ScheduledUnit B — AllCount time
09:14:38Sgt. RuizInmate #4471Attorney visit at 2:00
07:00:41Ofc. DanielsUnit B — AllCount time
06:00:04ScheduledUnit B — AllWake-up
05:52:37Ofc. DanielsInmate #3902Medical call-out
5 of 34 messages todayExport
Built for corrections

Secure by design, offline by default

Everything about the system fits the realities of a correctional environment.

No internet needed

Runs on its own private radio network, never touching your Wi-Fi or infrastructure.

Tamper-resistant

Sealed watches inmates can't open or alter, protected by a staff-only PIN.

Covers your whole facility

Engineered and sized to your facility so every housing unit is reached, reliably.

No recurring fees

A one-time purchase with no monthly charges, per-user fees, or hidden costs.

What you buy

What’s in the system

Each housing unit runs its own system: a transmitter at the officer’s station, the software that sends from it, and a watch for every deaf or hard of hearing inmate you serve. A facility with several units runs one system per unit, and each unit keeps its own message log.

What a housing unit needs

one system per unit
The CA transmitter, the unit that sends every message out to the watches
The backbone

The transmitter

It sits at the officer’s station and connects to the PC with one USB cable. Every message goes out through it on its own radio channel, which is why the system needs no network and no internet to do its job. One covers a housing unit and carries as many watches as you issue.

Specifications
Transmits to watches462.750 MHz
Rangeup to 3/4 mile in the clear
Through concrete and steelless, so normally one per housing unit
Watchesas many as needed
Connectionone USB cable to the officer’s PC
Size9 × 6.5 × 2.5 in
The Staff Messages window: the unit roster on the left, a message going to the whole unit, and the message history underneath
The screen

The messaging software

The window staff work in, on the Windows PC at the officer’s station. Choose who it goes to, pick a message off your approved list or type one, and send. Every send is written to the log with the time, the wording, the recipient, and the officer who sent it. One license goes with each transmitter, and any other PC on the facility LAN can open that unit’s software at no extra cost.

Specifications
Runs onone Windows PC per housing unit
Sends toone inmate, a group, a whole unit, or every watch
Preset messagesas many as you define
Scheduled messagesany time of day, repeating daily
Logtime, sender, recipient, wording
ExportCSV or HTML
Other send-pointsany PC on the facility LAN, no extra license
Datastays at the facility, no cloud
The sealed watch pager issued to a deaf or hard of hearing inmate
On the wrist

The watch pagers

One for every deaf or hard of hearing inmate you serve. It vibrates and shows the message on screen, so it reaches them across a loud dayroom without an officer having to find them first. Sealed and tamper-resistant, protected by a staff-only PIN, and receive-only: it takes messages and cannot send one. It charges from an ordinary wall plug, one per watch.

Specifications
Receives462.750 MHz
Sendsnothing, receive only
Alertvibrate + on-screen text
Battery3–4 days per charge
Recharge4 hours from a wall plug
Watch100% waterproof · 1.5 × 5 × 0.5 in

How many systems your facility takes. One per housing unit is the normal answer, because a transmitter covers its own unit and concrete, steel, and detached buildings cut the range that gets it there. We work that out against your layout before anything ships, rather than leaving you to find a dead zone later. Setup and staff training are one remote call, and support and software updates are included for as long as you run it.

Trusted in the field

Proven across the country

State Departments of Corrections and county facilities rely on MMCall every day, including Illinois, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.

5,000+
Inmates reached daily nationwide
30+
Facilities in Illinois alone
Since 2020
Deployed statewide under ADA programs
$0
Monthly or per-user fees
Straight answers

Common concerns, answered

“Will this work on our secure network?”

There's nothing to put on your network. The system runs on a private radio link between a USB transmitter and the watches, completely off your IT infrastructure and the internet.

“Can inmates tamper with the watches?”

The watches are sealed, tamper-resistant units that only receive messages. A staff-only PIN protects the settings, and lost or damaged units are reassigned and reprogrammed.

“How do we prove compliance if it's challenged?”

Every message is logged with a timestamp, sender, and recipient, and exports to CSV or HTML, a clear record for court monitors and settlement reporting.

“Can our staff actually use it?”

Yes. Sending a message is as simple as picking it off the list or typing it, selecting recipients, and clicking send. Most teams are trained in a single short session, and we support you throughout.

“Can an officer send whatever they want?”

That's your call. The software holds as many preset messages as you want to define, so count, chow, pill call, and medical call-outs are picked off a list instead of typed. Free text stays there for what a list can't cover, and either way the log records the wording and the officer who sent it.

“What does it cost to keep running?”

Nothing recurring. It's a one-time purchase with no monthly fees or per-user charges. Many facilities start small and expand later.

“How do we actually purchase it?”

By purchase order or card directly, or through your approved state-contract vendor. We provide the quotes, specs, and documentation your procurement team needs.

For IT & purchasing

Built for IT and procurement

The questions your technology and purchasing teams ask, answered up front.

Air-gapped & secure

No connection to your network or the internet. The software runs locally on a Windows PC and talks to the transmitter over USB, so there's no attack surface on your infrastructure.

One-time purchase

No subscriptions, licenses to renew, or per-user fees. Start with a single housing unit and expand facility by facility as budget allows.

Procurement-ready

We provide detailed quotes, specifications, and documentation, and we have experience selling through state DOC procurement and approved state-contract vendors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the system require internet or Wi-Fi?
No. The system runs on its own private radio network. A desktop transmitter connected to a Windows computer at the officer's station broadcasts messages directly to the watch pagers. Housing units don't need internet, Wi-Fi, or network access, which makes the system well suited to secure, air-gapped correctional environments.
How does this help us meet ADA requirements?
The system gives deaf and hard of hearing inmates an equivalent way to receive the same information hearing inmates receive by intercom or verbal announcement. Just as important, every message is automatically logged with a timestamp, sender, and recipient, and can be exported to CSV or HTML. That record is what ADA coordinators, legal teams, and court monitors use to document that effective communication is being provided.
Are the pagers secure and tamper-resistant?
Yes. The watch pagers are durable, sealed units designed to be tamper-resistant. Inmates can't easily open or modify them, and a staff-only PIN protects the settings. If a watch is lost or damaged, it can be replaced and reprogrammed, and the system keeps a record of pager assignments.
Will it cover our whole facility?
Yes. We size the equipment to your facility during quoting, from your housing-unit layout, so every housing unit is covered by design before anything is installed.
Can messages be reviewed for compliance and legal reporting?
Absolutely. All messages sent through the system are automatically logged with timestamps, sender information, and recipient details. These logs can be exported as CSV or HTML files at any time for compliance audits, legal requirements, and settlement or court-monitor reporting.
Can we schedule routine messages to run automatically?
Yes. You can pre-program messages to be sent at exact times. This works well for routine activities such as count time, meal calls, medication reminders, or any scheduled event that occurs regularly, so staff don't have to send them by hand each day.
Can we send an emergency alert to all inmates at once?
Yes. The system supports instant broadcast messaging to all pagers simultaneously, which is ideal for emergencies, lockdowns, or facility-wide announcements.
What happens if an inmate loses or damages their pager?
The pagers are built to be durable and tamper-resistant. If one is lost or damaged, it can be quickly replaced and reprogrammed, and pagers can be reassigned as inmates move between housing units or facilities. The system maintains a log of pagers and their assignments for easy tracking.
Is there any recurring monthly fee for the system?
No. The system is a one-time purchase with no recurring fees, no per-user charges, and no hidden costs. Many facilities start with a single housing unit and expand across the facility, or to additional facilities, over time.
How do state agencies and facilities purchase the system?
Facilities purchase directly by purchase order or card, and many state Departments of Corrections buy through their existing approved state-contract vendors or integrators. We provide the quotes, specifications, and documentation your procurement team needs, and we already have experience selling into state DOC procurement processes.
What software does it use and where does it run?
The messaging software installs on a standard Windows computer at the officer's station and connects to the desktop transmitter by USB. It doesn't need to be connected to your network or the internet to operate, and staff can be trained to use it in a single short session.
Can the system integrate with our existing facility systems?
The system exports its message logs as CSV and HTML, which can be imported into most facility management or records systems. If you have a specific integration need, our team can review it with you.

Any Questions? Talk to an Expert

Book a call

MMCall systems are supplemental communication tools, not life-safety systems or medical devices. Like any wireless system, message delivery depends on proper installation, radio coverage, power, and a connected transmitter. The system does not replace staffing, supervision, rounds, or your facility’s emergency procedures. Test your system regularly. See our Terms and Conditions for full product-use terms.