The $200 weekly limit at West Valley: planning for commissary and phone time
West Valley Detention Center caps spending at $200 per week—and phone time counts toward that limit, not just commissary. Plan ahead to avoid surprise cutoffs or unfilled orders.
At West Valley, inmates can't spend more than $200 per week on commissary - and phone time counts toward that same cap. The total is shared: heavy calling one week means less room for commissary, and vice versa.
Why this matters: If you plan for commissary but don’t account for calls, you can hit the $200 weekly cap faster than you expect and end up short on either essentials or phone time.
Phones are available in housing areas, but calls must be collect or prepaid. For families, that means either accepting collect charges or funding a prepaid account - there's no other option.
Note: All inmate telephone calls are recorded and may be monitored.
Since phone time counts toward the $200 weekly cap, treat calls like a budget line item. If your loved one plans to make more calls that week, keep the commissary order smaller - or stick to essentials - so they don't hit the limit mid-week.
- Find out the commissary day - Commissary is available once a week, so timing matters.
- Confirm the day and time with housing staff - The facility directs people to contact housing staff for the commissary day and time, which helps you plan deposits and the weekly budget around the actual schedule.
- Coordinate needs for that week - Since there’s one commissary opportunity, have your loved one decide what’s most important before the order goes in so the limited weekly spending is used where it counts.
- ✓ Decide what has to be covered first (basic commissary needs vs. extra snacks or add-ons) so the $200 weekly cap doesn’t get eaten up early.
- ✓ Leave room in the weekly total for phone time, since it counts toward the same $200 limit.
- ✓ Double-check the booking number on the commissary form - West Valley requires it to be entered correctly and completely.
One way to stay under the cap: set a weekly split ahead of time - this much for commissary, this much for calls - and stick to it. Calls are collect or prepaid only, and all inmate calls are recorded and may be monitored. If calls run heavy early in the week, that's your signal to scale back commissary so the combined total stays under $200.
Reminder: Commissary orders won’t be filled unless there’s money in the inmate’s account - placing an order without funds can mean nothing gets delivered.
West Valley doesn't do "bill me later." The inmate must have money in their account before commissary orders get filled. No funds? The order won't go through.
The $200 weekly limit applies to commissary and phone time combined. Use a lot of phone time one week, and you might run out of room for commissary - even if you had the funds for both.
Questions for Staff
- ✓ What is the inmate’s commissary day and time for their housing area?
- ✓ Since commissary is once a week, what’s the best timing to make sure funds are available before the order is processed?
- ✓ How is the “week” defined for the $200 limit (what day does it reset)?
- ✓ Since phone time counts toward the $200 cap, how do collect or prepaid call charges show up against that weekly total?
- ✓ Does phone usage count against the weekly total immediately, or does it post later?
- ✓ What exact booking number format should be used, and where should it be entered on the commissary form?
Tip: Housing staff are the right place to confirm commissary day/time, and they can also help clarify how the weekly $200 period is calculated in practice.
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