Putting money on an inmate's account: options, fees, and restrictions
How you add money depends on whether your loved one is in NDCS or a county jail. For NDCS, GettingOut states that deposits to an incarcerated person's trust account are provided by TouchPay (doing business as GTL Financial Services). County facilities may use kiosks or card payments with transaction fees. These fees can add up quickly, so check the specific facility's rules before paying.
Some facilities won't give you account details over the phone. Plan to get that information directly from your loved one. Sarpy County, for instance, says inmate account information will not be provided to the public; it's the inmate's responsibility to share it. Sarpy County lists example transaction fees: a nonrefundable $3.25 fee for cash kiosk transactions, and a nonrefundable fee of 10% or $3.25 (whichever is greater) for credit card transactions.
Restrictions on who can send funds also apply. NDCS policy says incarcerated individuals may not receive money or money-equivalents from family/friends of other incarcerated individuals or from people on another incarcerated individual's approved visiting list. For those on work crews, county policies can be strict. Hall County says money must be placed on the inmate worker's account and no money may be left with employees or inmate workers. Hall County also notes that fines may be sat out at a rate of $150 per day but cannot be sat out while on the Work Release Program. If time-pay was not granted at sentencing, the inmate must complete a request for time payment form. Some third-party services advertise ways to send money and make justice-related payments online (like posting bail or making probation/parole payments), but you still need to confirm the correct option for your specific facility.
Common Questions
Q
How do I set up an account to receive phone calls or video visits from my loved one?
If your loved one’s facility uses ConnectNetwork/GettingOut, you’ll generally create an account and fund it, then link it to the incarcerated person. GettingOut’s guidance says you need to create and fund an AdvancePay account with ConnectNetwork to receive phone calls, and video visitation/messages also require registering and funding accounts. For NDCS deposits and related services, GettingOut also notes TouchPay/GTL Financial Services is involved, so you’ll want to confirm which product your facility uses before you add funds.
Q
Can I send money to an inmate who is working outside or on work release?
You can usually still add funds, but it must go to the inmate’s account, not handed to a worker or staff member. Hall County says all money must be placed on the inmate worker’s account and no money may be left with any employee or inmate workers. Hall County also says inmate workers will not receive visitors while working outside and will have no contact from family or friends while outside working.
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