Texas

How to contact an inmate at Rio Grande Detention Center

Last Updated on May 21, 2023

A friendly help guide for Rio Grande Detention Center. Learn how to find an inmate and send letters, photos, and more.

How to contact an inmate at Rio Grande Detention Center

This help guide will walk you through how to connect with an inmate. Follow the steps below to find an inmate and send letters and photos:

  1. How to find an inmate online
  2. How to message an inmate
  3. Sending photos and postcards
  4. Frequently asked questions about Rio Grande Detention Center
  5. Overview of Rio Grande Detention Center
  6. Inmate services at Rio Grande Detention Center

Here's a short video on how to contact an inmate at Rio Grande Detention Center:

How to message an inmate

How to message an inmate at Rio Grande Detention Center

You can use your phone or computer to send emails letters, and photos to an inmate. Messages are sent electronically to inmate tablets or kiosks at the facility. If you would like to send an message, start by searching for an inmate at Rio Grande Detention Center .

Sending Photos and Postcards

How to send photos and postcards to Rio Grande Detention Center

A great way to send love and support to loved one at Rio Grande Detention Center is to send photos and postcards. It only takes a few minutes to send photos from your phone and it makes a huge difference. You can also mail postcards with words of support and inspiration, or design your own postcard for special moments like birthdays and holidays.

Important! Be sure not to send any explicit photos or they may not be approved by the facility. You can also use a photo printing app like Penmate to make sure your photos are printed at the correct size (4x6 or 3x5) and are mailed according to the rules and regulations of Rio Grande Detention Center.

Frequently asked questions about Rio Grande Detention Center

  1. How long does it take to deliver a message?

    If you're sending an email message your letter is usually delivered within 24-48 hours. For messages sent via mail you should expect delivery within 3-7 days. All messages will need be approved by Rio Grande Detention Center.

  2. How much does it cost to send a message to Rio Grande Detention Center?

    You can send a message free using your phone or mail a message via USPS for the price of a $0.60 stamp and envelope. You can also purchase credits or e-stamps from services starting at $1.99.

  3. What services can I use to contact an inmate at Rio Grande Detention Center?
    Penmate

    You can use Penmate to send letters and photos to an inmate from your phone. It's a easy way to stay in touch during your loved one's incarceration. Use the inmate locator to find an inmate's location and contact information, then you can send messages within a few minutes.

    Securus messaging

    Securus may be another option for communicating with an inmate at Rio Grande Detention Center. You can create a friends and family account and purchase credits to send messages. All messages will be reviewed and must be approved by the facility.

    JPay

    Some county jails and state prisons may support for sending messages with JPay. You must register an account with the system, find your loved one, and purchase stamps to send messages. For some locations you can also attach photos.

    Smart Jail Mail

    You may also check if Smart Jail Mail is available at Rio Grande Detention Center. Smart Jail Mail is operated by Smart Communications and has contracted with some state and county jails. After purchasing credits, your messages and photos are sent to the facility, printed out, and then handed out to your loved one.

  4. What is the mailing address of Rio Grande Detention Center?
    Mailing address:

    Rio Grande Detention Center
    1001 San Rio Blvd
    Laredo , TX 78046
    (956) 718-4700

    Business hours:
    • Monday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    • Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    • Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    • Thursday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    • Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    • Saturday: Closed
    • Sunday: Closed

Overview of Rio Grande Detention Center

Rio Grande Detention Center is a U.S. immigration and customs enforcement detention center (ICE). The facility is located near Laredo, Texas, next to the Rio Grande River, at the southernmost border of Texas. It is commonly referred to as the Rio Student Center because every Tuesday, University students gather across the boundary to chant and show their opposition to ICE and migrant detention.

Thousands of individuals, predominantly non-criminal immigrants searching for asylum or lacking proper documentation, have made this facility their home. Most users of the facility, male and female adults, and children, are being kept separately with reports varying on the expenses and disadvantages revealed. To address the predicted enlargement of individuals against holding/surviving rates, Rio collected "oil field compartment" modules, and opened corrugated-tin basement housing units over the years squeezing detainees ever closer in their crowded inadequacies.

When the comparison was done with hundreds of efforts conducted June to July, snapshots of migrants enclosed in tense cells running a fervently twisted line of expressionlessness presenting those clearly psychologically damaged. Alternatively, individuals stood and shouted back during the visits, challenging the conduct of custom enforcement officials and urging vigils outside. Prisoners described the lack of public touchpoints, limitations to obtain feedback or scarce visibility of guards sharing continual tearful dignity-diminishing disillusion. Unlike probably most minimum-security prisons in communities with VCs such as Cable ONE the state representative itself utilizes confinement house records or images and uploads time-lapse well-edited glocations

What services are provided by Rio Grande Detention Center?

The Rio Grande Detention Center is a prominent detention center located in Texas that caters to individuals who have been incarcerated. The facility provides various kinds of programs and services to inmates that ensure their well-being and rehabilitation. Adults both males and females can use their services.

The facility works to provide multifacted education via online, vocational, and academic areas along with various vocational certification programs, including custodial maintenance, general technology, or entrepreneurship education, depending on the interest and evaluation needs of the inmate.

The Rio Grande facility provides various health procedures to every current inmate who passes their health check at the facility or any medical emergencies or illnesses, through infirmary care.

Incarcerated individuals dealing with mental health have access to mental health programs, group interactions and counseling understanding their vital, satisfactory living of the attributes enjoying various classes directed by a counselor or instructor.

Recovered property reports can enable the place to credit you by appropriately awarding you according to institutional criteria and later grant such toward forthcoming monies or property upgrade; services regarding this are provided for convicts including counseling, nutrition assistance and LGBT-affiliated services.

Inmates receive structured activities for knowing current or local knowledge coupled with social behaviour ranging from how immigrants fare anyway conveniently negotiating existing societal conditions around various remedier so disputes with all included in obtaining successful solutions relating successful and healthy living after discharge starts.

The Rio Grande facility regularly strives to get connected to many places ranging from religious general advice to counseling on alcohol and drugs restriction and reform influenced inmates that incorporates civilian-prison-scene trafficking to training on graphic topics.