How to Send Money to Facility

Money sent through the mail to the Grant County Detention Center goes through the standard incoming mail process. Staff open and inspect all mail for money and contraband, and envelopes may be scanned for content. Assume anything you include could be seen during inspection.

Different payment types get handled differently. U.S. funds and authorized money orders that arrive by mail are receipted and deposited into the inmate's Trust Fund Account. Checks, non-authorized money orders, and foreign currency? Those get receipted and stored in jail property storage instead.

Steps to Follow

• ✓ Send only U.S. funds or an authorized money order if your goal is a deposit to the inmate’s Trust Fund Account
• ✓ Make sure the envelope is addressed correctly for the jail’s mailing process
• ✓ Clearly include the inmate’s identifying information so the facility can receipt the funds and deposit them to the correct Trust Fund Account
• ✓ Keep your own record of what you sent (amount, date, and any money order details) in case you need to follow up

• ✓ Do not expect checks to be deposited into the inmate’s Trust Fund Account, they are receipted and stored as property
• ✓ Do not expect non-authorized money orders to be deposited into the inmate’s Trust Fund Account, they are receipted and stored as property
• ✓ Do not expect foreign currency to be deposited into the inmate’s Trust Fund Account, it is receipted and stored as property
• ✓ Remember that incoming mail is opened and inspected for money and contraband, and it may be scanned for content

If you want money deposited into the trust account, call the facility first to confirm what counts as an "authorized" money order. Ask whether checks are ever deposited (the written policy says they're stored as property). Same goes for foreign currency, which also ends up in property storage rather than the trust account.

1. Ask what payment types are accepted for deposit. Confirm that U.S. funds are treated as deposits and ask which money orders are considered authorized for Trust Fund Account deposits.
2. Confirm what happens if you send the wrong thing. The policy states checks, non-authorized money orders, and foreign currency are receipted and stored in property storage, so ask how that property is held and what the next steps are.
3. Check addressing and identification requirements. Since money comes through the mail process (opened and inspected, and possibly scanned), verify exactly what inmate information must be included so the funds are applied correctly.
4. Ask about timing and receipts. Funds that qualify are receipted and deposited to the Trust Fund Account, so ask how long that typically takes and what information you should keep to track your payment.