How Aransas County Jail Commissary, Negative Balances, and Indigent Charges Work

Aransas County Jail runs commissary twice a week. As long as orders are turned in on time, there are two chances each week for your loved one to place an order and receive delivery.

For the first weekly run, orders must be turned in by Monday at 07:00 AM for Tuesday delivery. Miss that cutoff, and the order won't go out until the next cycle.

The second run works the same way: orders are due by Thursday at 07:00 AM for Friday delivery. If your loved one relies on commissary for basics, those early-morning deadlines are worth remembering.

When an inmate has a negative balance, incoming money doesn't work the way most families expect. The system automatically takes 25% of all incoming commissary funds and applies it toward the debt. So if you deposit money, not all of it will be available to spend - some gets pulled right away to pay down what's owed, and only the rest goes toward commissary purchases.

If your loved one is classified as indigent, the jail provides certain basics - but "provided" doesn't always mean "free." Indigent underwear (socks, shirt, and briefs) is available every six weeks, and when it's issued, $5.75 gets debited from their commissary account. No funds on hand? That charge can create or deepen a negative balance.

Indigent inmates can also request writing supplies to send mail: 3 envelopes, 9 sheets of paper, and a facility pen. This helps them stay in touch even when they can't buy supplies through commissary.

Mail is another area where small charges add up. The county will mail out three letters per week for indigent inmates, but each letter still costs $0.58 - debited from the commissary account. Even if there's no money on the account right now, those mail charges can show up as a balance owed later.

Don't assume every dollar you add turns into spending money. Incoming funds can be reduced automatically if there's a negative balance, and indigent-related debits - like underwear or per-letter mailing charges - can create or grow what's owed. If commissary seems "short," it's usually because money is being applied to the balance first, not because the deposit didn't go through.

• ✓ Ask the jail how your loved one can confirm their current commissary balance and any negative amount owed
• ✓ Have your loved one check their commissary/account statement so you’re both looking at the same numbers
• ✓ Time deposits and expectations around the twice-weekly order cycle so you’re not counting on an order that missed the Monday 07:00 AM or Thursday 07:00 AM cutoff
• ✓ If your loved one is indigent, plan for small debits (like issued clothing or mailed letters) that can still hit the account