Hotline

The Sheriff of Cook County has a website that shows a phone number to call for Inmate Information. It's a cute phone number, although in context it's kind of grim: 1-773-869-JAIL.

Until yesterday the website listed a different number: 1-800-425-JAIL, which you can still see in Google's cache of the page. As it turns out, the sheriff's office let this number lapse a year ago, due to budget cuts, but forgot to take if off their website. And in the meantime, a phone-sex company bought the number.

According to the Trib, the number directs you to another number "for some stimulating conversation."

When you've got a loved one in jail
And you're trying to make his bail,
You just want information,
Not a hot conversation.