How to deposit funds, commissary, and payment options
Adding money to a prisoner account at Cooper Street Correctional Facility? MDOC routes deposits through GTL Financial Services. Skip person-to-person payment apps like Cash App, Zelle, PayPal, and Venmo—MDOC warns these may be scams and won't accept them. Keep deposit size in mind: no individual deposit can exceed $300. For care packages and vendor publications, MDOC uses the Friends and Family Program. Register and check out at michiganpackages.com to send items through that system. If a vendor shipment arrives without an invoice or packing slip, MDOC requires written verification—like a gift receipt or invoice copy—showing the purchase came from an approved vendor. When paying online, by phone, or at a kiosk, you'll need to select the right facility and person, then enter the inmate's full name, ID, and your billing details.
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
Sending money to someone at Cooper Street is straightforward once you know the one rule that matters: deposits go through GTL Financial Services. The biggest mistake families make? Trusting a random message asking for money through Cash App or Venmo. Those payments won't reach a prisoner's account.
Getting mail or JPay messages to someone at Cooper Street comes down to a few key details: the right name and number, understanding that mail gets photocopied, and following JPay's one-photo rule.
Use GTL Financial Services to deposit funds to an MDOC prisoner account for Cooper Street. Don't use Cash App, Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, or similar apps—MDOC warns these may be scams and won't accept them. For online, phone, or kiosk payments, you'll need the correct facility, the inmate's full name and ID, and your billing information.
Yes. MDOC limits prisoner account deposits so that no individual deposit can exceed $300.
Yes, but they must go through MDOC’s Friends and Family Program—register and check out at michiganpackages.com. If a vendor shipment is missing an invoice or packing slip, MDOC requires written verification (such as a gift receipt or invoice copy) showing it was purchased from an approved vendor.
Phone calls are one of the fastest ways to stay connected—but they can get confusing when a call won't go through. Here's how the phone system works at Cooper Street, what the 20-number PAN list means, what calls cost per minute, and how to fund an account by mail if you can't pay online.
