How to send messages, photos, and packages
Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF) offers video visits, phone calls, and tablet-based messaging. Each person in custody can schedule up to three video visits per day, with each visit lasting 26 minutes (depending on unit schedule and availability). Video visits cost $2.50 per visit, effective June 19, 2023. Phone service runs through Securus—families set up accounts directly with them. Tablet messaging and photo/message delivery require a GettingOut (GTL) account. Non-attorney calls may be monitored and recorded. Attorney calls work differently: they're made collect, and attorney contact details are added or updated using form DOC-1631. MSDF also has a Public Defender red phone available Monday–Friday, 8:30am–2:30pm. Mail sent through TextBehind is scanned, and originals are shredded by a certified third party 30 days after scanning.
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
Trying to help someone get out of the Milwaukee County Criminal Justice Facility? The first thing to know: bail can't be paid online. Every bail form requires a surety's signature in person—no exceptions. If you can't show up yourself, you'll need another option.
A person in custody at MSDF can have up to three video visits per day. Each visit is 26 minutes, and visits must be scheduled based on unit availability.
Video visits at MSDF cost $2.50 per visit, effective June 19, 2023.
Non-attorney calls at MSDF may be monitored and recorded. Attorney calls are made collect, and attorney contact information is added or updated using form DOC-1631; MSDF also has a Public Defender red phone available Monday–Friday, 8:30am–2:30pm.
Send personal (non-legal) mail to TextBehind at P.O. Box 189, Phoenix, MD 21131. Include your full return name and address, plus the person-in-custody’s full name and DOC number; incomplete envelopes may be undeliverable.
No. TextBehind will not open or process identifiable medical or legal mail. Legal mail is forwarded directly to the institution to be handled under legal-mail procedures.
Some greeting cards won’t be copied, including musical, pop-up, glittered, multi-thickness, or glued cards. Gift cards, cash, and personal checks are not accepted and will be returned to sender.
Posted bail in Milwaukee County? Getting your refund is usually straightforward once the case closes—you just need the right information. Here's who to contact, what determines eligibility, and what to do if your refund is delayed.
You can post bail in person at any time at the Milwaukee County Criminal Justice Facility, 949 N 9th Street, Milwaukee.
Post bail in person at the Milwaukee County Criminal Justice Facility, 949 N 9th Street in Milwaukee. The facility accepts bail payments around the clock, so you can get someone released any time of day or night.
