If you are a family member or a friend of an incarcerated individual, it is important for you to keep in touch with them to show your support during their hard time behind the bar. One of the things that you may want to do is to check their account balance. The reason why you want to know the balance in their inmate’s account is to know whether or not you need to send them money or to find out their spending. By knowing the balance in their inmate’s account, you will be able to feel relieved and help them. So, how to check the balance in an inmate’s account?
Inmate Accounts Overview
Before checking the balance on the inmate account of your loved one, it is better for you to understand the types of accounts that are commonly used in correctional facilities. Usually, there are two kinds of accounts used by inmates. The first one is a trust account and the second one is a commissary account.
The trust account refers to the kind of account that holds funds deposited by the inmate or their loved ones. This one is usually used for several expenses such as phone calls, medical fees, and restitution payments. As for the commissary account, it is the one that is usually used by inmates to purchase items such as snacks, hygiene products, and writing materials.
Checking the Balance of an Inmate’s Account
For anyone who is wondering how to check the balance of an inmate’s account, the answer may vary. In general, the methods that you can try include:
Method 1: Contacting the inmate
The easiest way to check an inmate’s account balance is to contact the inmate directly. When you are connected to that incarcerated individual, just ask how much money remains in their inmate’s account. Feel free to ask them by calling or any method.
Method 2: Reaching out to the correctional facility
One of the most popular ways to check an inmate’s account balance is to contact the correctional facility where your inmate is incarcerated. Usually, there are departments or personnel who are in charge of managing inmate finances. If you have no idea what to do, go to the official website of the facility to find the contact information. Apart from that, you can also call their main administrative number. Before contacting the representative of the facility, it is better for you to prepare for the full name, ID number, and other relevant information about the inmate.
Method 3: Checking the portals and apps
If you do not want to contact your inmate directly or if you do not want to get in touch with the facility, you may want to consider visiting online portals or downloading mobile apps that allow authorized users to access inmate account information remotely. To be able to use this service, it may be needed for you to create an account. Aside from that, you may also have to undergo a verification process to ensure you have the necessary authorization to access the information.
Method 4: Using third party services
In addition to the things provided by the correctional facilities, there are also third party services that offer account management tools. Usually, these services are not free, meaning you will have to pay to use their services such as accessing information about the account or making transactions. Before deciding to use this one, make sure that it is reputable and secure.
Method 5: Using inmate communication platforms
Usually, the correctional facilities team up with jail-related services providers to support the communication between the inmate and their family members or friends. These platforms are known for not only being used for sending emails or scheduling visits but also for managing inmate accounts. Some platforms may allow any users to check the balance in the account of the inmate as part of their broader set of services. Just try to check the inmate communication platform to see if account management features are offered. However, you should not be surprised if there is no such service on the platform. For example, one of the most popular services providers called JPay states that they do not have access to an inmate’s account balance as well as their transaction activity, as stated on their official website. It means there is no way for the family member or friend of an inmate who uses JPay to check the balance of their inmate’s account. The same thing goes to GettingOut. As stated on its official website, inmates are the only ones that are able to see their own balance. So, if a family member or friend of the inmate deposited money into their loved one’s account, they will have to ask them what their balance is. To be able to do it, they can contact their inmate over the phone, send a message or schedule a video visitation.
Talking about checking the balance in the inmate’s account, there is a thing called the County Office which is known as a complete guide to local government services and public records. This one has published a couple of videos on its official YouTube channel regarding checking an inmate’s account balance.
According to the County Office, there are a couple of ways to check the balance on an inmate’s account. The first one is to call the facility to ask for the information. For those who want to try this way, you will need to make sure to have the full name and identification number of the inmate. At the beginning, the facility will verify your identity and then they will provide you with the information regarding the balance in the account of your inmate.
Another way to check the balance of an inmate’s account as per County Office is to visit the facilities website and log in to the inmate’s account. If you prefer this way, it will be needed for you to create an account. Not only that but also you need to provide the important information. Once you have access to the account, it will be possible for you to view the balance in the account of your inmate. Besides, you will also be able to check the transaction history.
It is worth noting that you may have to spend for fees associated with checking the balance in the account of your inmate. To find out about the fees, make sure to check with the facility.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, knowing the balance in an inmate’s account is one of the important things to support them during their time of incarceration. Feel free to try any way to check the balance in their inmate’s account.
AUTHOR BIO
On my daily job, I am a software engineer, programmer & computer technician. My passion is assembling PC hardware, studying Operating System and all things related to computers technology. I also love to make short films for YouTube as a producer. More at about me…
