How to Send Money to Someone at Saint Landry Parish Jail (online & money order) — and how deposits are applied if they owe debt

You have two options: deposit online with a credit or debit card through GTL's payment portal, or mail a money order. The online route charges a service fee - you'll see the exact amount before confirming. Money orders work too, but they must be made payable exactly as the jail instructs. Get it wrong, and the money order gets destroyed.

1. Go to the GTL online payment portal - Use the Saint Landry Parish Jail online deposit site (gtlfsonlinepay.com).
2. Choose a card payment - The portal accepts credit or debit cards.
3. Follow the prompts to submit the deposit - Enter the requested details and review everything before you confirm.
4. Check the service charge before you pay - A service charge is added to the transaction; confirm the total shown on-screen before finalizing.

Money orders are accepted, but precision matters. If yours isn't made payable exactly as instructed, the jail destroys it - no refund to you, no credit to the inmate's account. Before mailing anything, confirm the correct payee format with the facility. Keep your receipt so you can track the payment if something goes wrong.

• ✓ Make the money order payable exactly as the jail instructs (don’t guess - confirm the payee format first).
• ✓ Keep your money order receipt and any tracking/confirmation paperwork.
• ✓ Confirm the correct mailing address and any required identifying details with the facility before sending.

When someone is booked, any cash they have goes into the St. Landry Parish Correctional Center Offender Account Fund. That money covers commissary, phone time, and tablet time. Here's the catch: if the person has outstanding debt from a previous incarceration, the jail splits new deposits 50/50. Half goes toward paying down that old debt. The other half becomes available for commissary, phone time, and other purchases. So if you're trying to help them buy essentials right away, only half of what you send may be spendable until the debt clears.

1. Example: you deposit $50 and they owe prior debt - $25 would be applied toward the outstanding debt, and $25 would be available for commissary/phone/tablet use.
2. Example: you deposit $100 and they owe prior debt - $50 would go toward the debt, and $50 would be available for the inmate’s use.

Practical-tips

• ✓ Confirm you’re selecting the correct person before you pay (name/ID details matter).
• ✓ Save your online confirmation/receipt every time you deposit.
• ✓ For online deposits, review the service charge and final total before submitting.
• ✓ For money orders, confirm the exact payee instructions and mailing address with the facility - money orders not made payable as instructed can be destroyed.

Don't have the jail's current money order payee format or mailing address handy? Confirm with the facility before sending anything. One small formatting mistake can mean your money order gets destroyed.