How to Send Money to Facility

If your loved one is in the Rhea County Jail Work Release program, their earnings work differently than regular commissary deposits. The jail reports that work-release earnings go into an account the incarcerated person receives upon release. Those wages won't show up as spendable money during custody the way commissary funds do. If you're counting on that money for transportation, housing, or other immediate needs after release, plan around the timing.

The jail also receives revenue through commissary orders and the inmate telephone company. The practical takeaway: both commissary and phone use run on paid systems. You'll want to understand how balances are funded, what gets charged, and how quickly money posts once added. Even small differences in how a provider processes payments can affect when your person can actually use the funds.

Steps to Follow

• ✓ If your loved one is on work release, ask how their earnings are being handled and when they will receive the account funds at release.
• ✓ Plan for commissary and phone costs separately from work-release wages, since those wages are reported as paid out upon release.
• ✓ Before sending money, confirm what the commissary and phone systems consider “available funds” and how purchases or calls are charged.
• ✓ Keep a record of every payment you make (date, amount, confirmation details) so you can troubleshoot quickly if funds do not post as expected.

For work-release earnings, focus on access and timing. Ask when earnings are deposited and when the incarcerated person actually receives that account upon release. Find out what identification or paperwork (if any) is needed to access the money, and whether any amounts get applied to obligations before the remainder is issued.

For commissary and phone, find out which companies handle each service and what options you have for adding funds. Ask how charges appear (for example, commissary orders versus phone-related charges), whether there are transaction fees, and how long deposits take to become usable. Also confirm any limits that could block your payment or delay access to the funds.