Looking to send money to an inmate? This guide will help you send funds to an inmate's commissary account.
What is a Commissary?
A commissary is a store located within a correctional institution where inmates can buy various products using their own funds. These products often include clothing, shoes, snacks, food, hygiene items like soap, shampoo, and razors, as well as entertainment items such as books, magazines, televisions, radios, and cards.
Some of the most important items sold in the commissary are paper, envelopes, and stamps, as they allow inmates to communicate with people outside the facility. While some facilities may provide a limited amount of stamps and paper to inmates who cannot afford them, not all facilities do. It's important to ensure that your inmate has enough stamps to stay in touch.
Commissary day typically occurs once a week and can be enjoyed thoroughly if the inmate has money in their commissary account to make purchases. If you're still having trouble understanding what an inmate's commissary account is, think of it as a bank account within the institution.
Inmates can add money to their commissary account through three methods. The first is by working a job within the institution, typically for a low wage. The second is if the inmate has access to a trust fund, inheritance, or legal settlement. The final way is through financial support from friends and family members while they are in custody.
How to send money to an inmate
The process of sending money to an inmate can vary depending on the type of facility, whether it's a jail, prison, or Federal Prison, and the state in which it is located.
Federal Prisons and some state-level prisons have centralized banking systems in place. In general, most facilities allow cash deposits through the lobby or a kiosk. While many facilities still accept postal money orders sent to the inmate's mailing address and made payable to the inmate, several states are transitioning to electronic banking.
Electronic banking enables friends and family members to send funds online, a method that correctional departments are increasingly favoring due to its efficiency and accuracy in tracking transactions, as well as its convenience for inmates and their loved ones. Regardless of the method chosen for sending funds, there are several important details you are required to know in order to send money:
- Inmates full committed name
- Inmates identification number
- Current location of the inmate
Learn the specific procedure for sending money to your incarcerated loved one by finding the facility they reside in from the list below:
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Be sure to check if the facility mandates that you must be on the inmate's visitation list to send funds, as well as the limit on the amount of money that can be sent. Some facilities impose a maximum daily or monthly cap on the funds an inmate can receive.
What is the Money Utilized for
In some states, a portion of the money received by an inmate may be allocated towards fines and restitution.
There are cases where inmates use their funds to purchase items that end up being stolen, traded, or gambled away to other inmates.
It is important to only send money to an inmate's account if you are friends or family with that specific inmate. If an inmate requests you to deposit funds into a friend's account, exercise caution as this could indicate illegal activity. Inmates may claim that money needs to be deposited into another inmate's account to avoid certain fees, but prisons typically only deduct a small percentage of the deposited funds.
It is advisable to keep receipts and order numbers for tracking purposes. When sending a money order to an inmate, retain the stub with the money order number as a precaution in case the money order gets lost, providing you with a way to track and verify that the inmate received the funds.