How to Send Money to Facility
Trying to get money to someone in custody? Timing matters. Here's what you can count on from the facility's published rules, plus what you'll want to confirm before sending anything.
Sending money for an upcoming video visit? Plan ahead. At San Diego County detention facilities, video visits must be reserved one day in advance. Same-day scheduling isn't allowed. That means last-minute deposits won't help if you need funds available immediately for something time-sensitive.
If the money will go toward commissary, here's some useful background: profits from commissary sales are deposited into the Incarcerated Persons' Welfare Fund, which supports the benefit, education, and welfare of incarcerated people under California Penal Code 4025. This won't tell you how to transfer money, but it explains where commissary proceeds end up.
Heads up: The published information doesn't specify how to send money (online vendor, kiosk, or mail), what fees apply, or processing timelines. If you're working toward a deadline, confirm the approved deposit options and cutoffs directly with the facility.
Steps-to-follow
- ✓ If funds are meant to support a video visit, plan at least one day ahead. Video visits must be reserved one day in advance and cannot be scheduled same day.
- ✓ Before you rely on a same-week or next-day need, confirm the facility’s approved ways to deposit money and how long each option takes to post.
Sending money for commissary? Commissary profits fund the Incarcerated Persons' Welfare Fund under California Penal Code 4025. For questions about how deposits appear on someone's balance or how commissary purchasing works day to day, check with the facility directly.
What-to-verify
- ✓ Whether the “one day in advance” rule applies to all video visit types you’re trying to schedule, and whether any exceptions exist
- ✓ Whether a deposit needs to be posted to an account before you can reserve a video visit
- ✓ Whether any money transfer option can post the same day (even though visits cannot be scheduled same day)
- ✓ Any daily cutoff times that affect when funds become available versus when you can schedule
- ✓ Whether commissary deposits are available immediately to the incarcerated person, or only after a processing period
- ✓ Any restrictions on how commissary funds can be used
- ✓ Any fees that may be charged when adding funds
- ✓ How the Incarcerated Persons' Welfare Fund (Penal Code 4025) relates to commissary profits versus your individual deposit
Reminder: Don't assume deposit vendors, fees, or hours. Check the facility's official rules (and Penal Code 4025 for Welfare Fund context) before sending money.
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