Sending Money to an Inmate
Most facilities prohibit inmates from owning cash during their incarceration period. Instead, you can send money into their commissary account, which they can use to purchase items such as snacks, toiletries, clothing, credit cards, and stationery. In addition, the commissary sells entertainment products such as magazines and books. There are several ways an inmate can get funds into their commissary account. First, inmates can get funds for their commissary by working a job within the facility, usually for menial pay. The second way is if the inmate has some trust fund, legal settlement, and inheritance. Lastly, an inmate can get commissary funds from friends and family members.
The methods for sending funds differ depending on the facility in which an inmate is accommodated. Ideally, you can send the funds electronically through U.S. mail using a legal check or money order.
What is an Inmate Trust Fund?
An inmate trust fund is a bank account of a jail or prison inmate while held in custody. The facility automatically sets up an inmate trust fund account when an offender is booked into a local jail or sentenced to prison. If they have funds on them when arrested or processed into a facility, the money is deposited into a trust fund. In addition, while in prison, family members and friends can send funds that will be deposited into the trust fund account to purchase items from the commissary.
On the other hand, if an inmate has a job while in custody, their wages are deposited into their trust fund account.
Below are explained methods you can use to send money to an inmate:
Sending Money Electronically
Find the Inmate’s Location
Before sending money to an inmate, you should ensure that you have the correct facility in which the inmate is in custody. At times, inmates may be transferred; hence, verifying the inmate’s location is important before sending the money. You can locate inmates incarcerated in federal prisons by using the inmate locater. On the other hand, in some states, such as Ohio, you can only send funds to a loved one in prison if you are an approved inmate visitor. For this reason, when sending funds, you must ensure that your name matches the name on the inmate’s visitor’s list, your government-issued identification card, or your driver’s license.
Find out what Services the Facility Accepts
Several electronic services, such as Western Union, Money Gram, and JPay, send funds to prisons. However, different prisons may use different services for sending funds. Generally, you can find out which services a particular facility uses by contacting the facility of interest directly or by finding the websites for the state or county department of corrections which manages the facility.
Services such as JPay allow you to find a particular inmate or facility directly from the service’s website. However, you must open a free account to use the service, and once you open it, you can send funds to multiple inmates or set up recurring payments. To send money using JPay, you can do so at a MoneyGram location, where most centers can be found in retail stores such as Walmart and CVS.
In addition, some facilities have contracts with private companies such as GTL Connect Network or Access Corrections to handle inmate trust funds.
Depositing Funds through Western Union
You can deposit money into an offender’s account through Western Union Quick Collect Program. You can send the money in person, via phone, or online. In most cases, funds sent between 7 am to 9 pm are deposited to the offender’s account within two to four hours. Western union charges differ depending on the number of funds sent. You can use the following options to send money via Western Union’s Quick Collect Program;
- Call 1-800-225-5227, and select the language option to deposit the money over the phone. However, you should keep in mind that the method uses credit cards and debit cards.
- Visit a Western Union location and complete a blue quick-collect method using cash, credit, or debit card.
- Visit Western Union’s inmate page and deposit funds to an inmate’s account through the automated transaction system. The method uses a debit card and a credit card.
While sending funds via Western Union, the account number, the inmate’s eight-digit register number, must have no spaces or dashes followed by the inmate’s last name. In addition, the code city must always be the FBOP, DC.
Depositing Money through MoneyGram
You can deposit funds into an offender’s account via MoneyGram’s Express Payment Program. Funds sent between 7 am to 10 pm are deposited to the inmate’s account within two to four hours. In addition, funds sent after 10 pm are deposited to the offender’s account by 9 am the following business day, including holidays and weekends. MoneyGram’s Express payment program is accessible at MoneyGram locations and online. Call 1-800-926-94—or visit the MoneyGram website to find a MoneyGram location. Alternatively, you can send funds online using the MoneyGram inmate payment service. Regardless of the inmate’s facility, you must provide the following details when sending money through MoneyGram;
- Company Name; Federal Bureau of Prisons
- Receive Code
- City and State
- Account Number; Offender’s last name and register number (with no dashes or spaces)
- Message to Biller or Beneficiary Name; Inmate’s Full Legal Name
Gather the information you need
To send funds to an inmate, you must have the inmate’s information, such as their full legal name, correct facility name and number, and the offender’s identification number for the department of corrections. For instance, if you send money to an inmate in a federal prison, the code city and the company name will always be the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, DC, despite where the offender is housed. In most cases, the DOC number serves as the inmate’s account number. You should remember that the inmate’s name must match their name in the corrections database, even if you’ve misspelled it or it is not the name the inmate usually goes by.
Some facilities may offer several types of sub-accounts for incarcerated offenders. If you send money electronically, you may not be able to control where the money goes. For instance, money sent through Western Union to an inmate in a Washington state prison can only be deposited in the offender’s spendable sub-account, not the sub-accounts for medical, postage, or educational expenses.
Call or Visit the Services of Your Choice
Electronic services typically permit you to send funds by calling a toll-free number, visiting a website, or physically visiting a kiosk or service location. Visiting a location physically provides you with more options concerning your method of payment. For instance, you can pay via cash if you visit a MoneyGram or Western Union location. However, online or over-the-phone payment usually requires a credit or debit card. Some states, such as Ohio, have kiosks available in every facility where you can deposit funds into an inmate’s account using cash, debit, or credit cards.
Fill out Necessary Forms
Each service has a form that you must fill out. Some details you must fill in include your name, address, inmate’s name, and identification number with the department of corrections. If you have any queries concerning filling out the forms, you can visit the department of corrections website or call the prison of interest directly. At the time, the employees at the payment service location may not be able to offer assistance, so it’s important to contact the facility of interest.
Send the Funds
If you send the funds electronically, it reflects an inmate’s account within 24 hours or the following business day. You should keep in mind that all electronic money transfer methods charge a processing fee for the service. It may be a fee based on the number of funds you want to send. For instance, MoneyGram charges a flat fee of about $7 or $8 for any amount you send. However, some states may limit the funds you can send at any time. For instance, in Ohio, you can only send up to about $200; if you’re sending money to a federal prison, you can send up to $300 at one time.
Sending Money through Mail
You can send funds to an inmate through the U.S. mail. The funds are deposited to an inmate trust fund account through the FBOP’s National Lockbox. Although sending money through mailing may be the slowest method, it is the easiest and least expensive method to send funds. The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not charge a fee for the service. To deposit funds through the National Lockbox, you must mail a U.S. treasury, state or local government check, U.S. Postal Service money order, or foreign negotiable instrument payable in U.S. currency.
Verify the Inmate’s Location
If you are using mail to send inmate funds, you must confirm the facility the inmate is housed before sending the funds. Mailing a cashier’s check or money order is a free way to send funds to an inmate.
Gather the Details you’ll need
Each facility requires the check or money order you send to be filled in a specific way and include certain details to ensure the money is deposited in the correct account. For instance, if you’re sending money through the mail to an inmate in federal prison, the money order must include some information, such as the inmate’s full name and the correct 8-digit corrections number. In addition, federal prisons place a 15-day hold on non-postal money orders or non-government checks.
If the prison where a loved one is housed has sub-accounts, you can indicate on the face of the check or money order the account in which you want the money deposited. For instance, if you’re sending money to an inmate accommodated in a Washington state prison, you can indicate whether you want the money to be deposited in that inmate’s medical, education, spendable, or postage sub-account.
Get a Cashier’s Check or Money Order
Most facilities do not allow you to send cash or personal checks to inmates. In addition, most prisons do not accept third-party checks such as government benefits or payroll checks.
Most facilities require you to send money separately from other items or letters. Therefore, if you send a letter with your money order or cashier’s check, the prison staff will destroy the letter, and the inmate will not receive it.
Include the Correct Details
Most facilities have a specific form you must fill out with proof of your identity, while some require details on the memo line of the money order or the cashier’s check. For instance, a money order sent to an inmate in North Carolina must be accompanied by a Jpay deposit slip which you can download and print. On the other hand, Connecticut has an official remitter form that must follow any funds sent.
Mail to the Correct Address
The address you send funds may differ from the address you use to send letters to an inmate. For instance, if you want to mail a check or money order to an offender in North Carolina facilities, you must send your money order to the JPay processing center in Hialeah, Florida. Ideally, when sending funds through the mail, you must use the U.S. Postal Service rather than a private delivery service such as FedEx or UPS.
If you are using the Federal Lockbox Address, you must address your money order as follows;
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Inmate’s Full Name
Inmate’s Eight–Digit Register Number
Post Office Box 474701
Des Moines, Lowa 50947-000
You must include a full and correct return address outside your envelope.
A Cautionary Note Concerning Inmate Money
The Federal Bureau of Prisons regularly looks for disciplinary infractions involving funds transfers. For instance, inmates may not exchange funds with one another as this is a prohibited action that can lead to disciplinary action in prison. As such, prison staff members pay close attention to those who send funds to inmates and try to identify individuals outside the prison who deposit funds into multiple inmates’ trust funds accounts. You should be cautious concerning placing money into multiple inmates’ funds accounts. If an outside party deposits funds into different inmates’ trust fund accounts, both prisoners risk being investigated for participating in a prohibited activity. It may be permissible if an individual does so on their own accord. Still, it may be better to consider having someone else transfer the money or place a different sender’s name on the negotiable instrument. Moreover, prisoners should not ask anyone to deposit money into anyone’s trust funds account.
