Search for a jail, prison, hospital, detox, residential program or nursing facility to see whether the free DBATR advocacy line is approved from inside. If it is not approved yet, you still get help today — the steps are below.
1 (844) 360-0359 — free, 24/7Separated-families FAQ & disclaimersCounty jail · Lockport, Niagara County, New York
First door. Free-call approval request sent to the Niagara County Sheriff with the full policy pack. Follow-up runs automatically every 30 days.
How to call: Until approval lands, families outside can call the line free and we three-way or relay. Ask for a DBATR advocate.
Requested August 2026
County jail · Buffalo & Alden, Erie County, New York
Approval request sent to the Erie County Sheriff. No answer yet — silence for 30 days escalates to state oversight.
How to call: Family-side calling works today. Inside dialing opens the day approval is on file.
Requested August 2026
State corrections system · New York State (statewide request)
One statewide signature opens every NYS prison at once, which is why the state ask went out alongside the county asks.
How to call: Statewide free-list placement pending. Outside callers reach the line free right now.
Requested August 2026
Phone & tablet provider · Provider-level (multi-state)
Provider-level free-list placement makes the number free everywhere they operate. Request is drafted and queued.
How to call: Not yet on the provider free list. Use the family-side route below.
Wave 3 — queued
Phone & tablet provider · Provider-level (multi-state)
Same request, same standard. Nothing about the caller is shared with the facility or the provider.
How to call: Not yet on the provider free list. Use the family-side route below.
Wave 3 — queued
Care facilities · Niagara & Erie County, New York
Open-phone settings need no approval — anyone can dial the toll-free line directly, day or night, at no cost.
How to call: Dial the toll-free line from any phone in the building. It is free from every US carrier.
Open since 2026
Anywhere · United States & Canada
If the phone can dial a toll-free number, the DBATR line is already free. No permission needed from anyone.
How to call: Dial the toll-free line. Free from landline, cell and most facility payphones.
Always
The person outside calls the toll-free number for free and we handle the rest — messages relayed, paperwork started, family kept in the loop. Nobody waits for a facility to say yes first.
Name it below and the free-call approval request goes out to that facility and its phone provider, with the same policy pack every other facility received. You do not have to write anything or argue with anyone.
Mail and text reach us with nothing recorded. Ask for a DBATR advocate and help starts immediately — the phone approval catches up later.
A no today becomes a re-ask next quarter. Refusals are published with dates and named offices. Silence for 30 days escalates to oversight bodies.
You never have to argue with an institution. Name it, and DBATR sends the free-call approval packet for you and follows up until there is an answer.