The right way to send money and books to someone at Miami County Jail

Miami County Jail won't accept money through the mail or handed directly to staff. The mail rules are strict: packages, certified mail, checks, and money orders all get returned. Use the approved deposit methods for funds and send books the right way, and you'll save yourself a lot of headaches.

If you can visit in person, head to the commissary kiosk in the jail lobby. It's one of the approved ways to add money to an inmate's account, and it lets you handle everything on-site.

You can also deposit money online through Access Corrections. The website works, or you can use their smartphone app if you'd rather handle it from your phone.

Rather do it by phone? Call 866-345-1884 - deposits are accepted 24/7. This works well if you can't get to the lobby kiosk or run into trouble completing an online deposit.

All inmates at Miami County Jail can make phone calls once they're booked. If your loved one just arrived, this is often how you'll first hear from them once they can access the phones.

Want to help someone keep calling home? Add funds through Access Corrections - online, through the smartphone app, or by calling 866-345-1884 anytime (24/7). This also covers voice-message options tied to their account.

Miami County Jail accepts paperback books, but only when sent the right way. Family members can mail books (shipped from Amazon, for example), and the package must include a receipt.

Expect the book to be inspected. Staff review and search all incoming books, and when the inmate is released, the book becomes property of the jail library. Don't send anything you want back.

Wondering why something got sent back? Miami County Jail doesn't accept packages, certified mail, checks, or money orders. All of these get returned to sender.

A few special categories follow different rules. Legal Mail is accepted, but it must be addressed directly to the facility. Publications of any kind are no longer accepted - so if you're thinking about sending magazines or newspapers, that won't work.

Personal mail goes through the ICSolutions Digital Mail Center. Once received, it's scanned and made available on inmate tablets. If the center can't scan a piece of mail - before or after opening - it gets returned to the sender.

1. Choose an approved way to add money - Use the commissary kiosk in the jail lobby, deposit online through Access Corrections (website or smartphone app), or call 866-345-1884 (24/7).
2. Skip cash-by-mail and hand-delivered money - Miami County Jail won’t accept money sent through the mail or money given directly to jail staff.
3. Send only paperback books, the approved way - Have the paperback shipped via mail from a retailer/vendor (for example, Amazon) and make sure a receipt is included.
4. Avoid staples - Books with staples aren’t permitted.
5. Don’t mail restricted items - Packages, certified mail, checks, and money orders aren’t accepted and will be returned to the sender.