Inmate Trust Fund

 

Supervisor: Sergeant Paul Sciarra

 

When a person is arrested, any funds they have are deposited into an electronic account maintained by the Sheriff’s Office. The inmate then has the ability to use those funds to make phone calls, purchase commissary, or pay their bond.

 

There are multiple ways for friends and family to deposit money onto an inmate account.

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• Money orders made out to the inmate may be sent in the mail

• Use the Stellar Teller located in the jail lobby

• Go to Gettingout.com to deposit money electronically

• Personal checks are not accepted

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When an inmate leaves the Porter County Jail, any balance remaining will be transferred to a Debit MasterCard. The card is provided to the inmate upon their release.

The Debit Master Cards are maintained by a third party company named Numi Financial and are subject to certain fees and policies.

 

Inmates who are transferred to other facilities must contact the commissary department to arrange pickup of their funds after their eventual release.

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Commissary Services

 

The Porter County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with Wisconsin-based company Stellar Services LLC to provide commissary services to the inmates.

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The Porter County Jail provides three meals a day, basic hygiene, and writing materials to every inmate. In addition, the Porter County Sheriff’s Office maintains a jail store or commissary department. Commissary is a privilege for an inmate who exhibits good behavior and has money on their inmate account. The inmate may order additional supplies and food items through the commissary department. Using the jail phone system or Telmate tablets, inmates who qualify may place an order before lockdown on Sunday night. They will receive their order the following week.

 

If an inmate leaves the facility before receiving their order, they (or their representative) must contact the Commissary department within 72 hours to make arrangements to pick up the order. Orders that are not picked up within 30 days become property of the Porter County Jail.

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Inmate Mail Services

 

The inmates of the Porter County Jail can send and receive mail through the U.S. Postal Service. However, there are limits and restrictions to what the inmates can send and receive.

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• Packages are not accepted for inmates and will be returned to sender

• Envelopes must include the inmate’s name and the return address of the sender

• A limit of 10 typed or written pages per envelope

• Inmates are limited to 10 physical photos in standard size

• Newspapers and magazines must come directly from the publisher

• Inmates may not receive greeting cards.  Instead, they will receive a photocopy of the card

• Items that contain glue, paint, and glitter, stickers, perfume, lipstick and other substances will not be delivered

• Mail is not sent or received on weekends or Holidays

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Book Donation Program

 

The Jail Administration has decided to reinstate the jail’s book donation program. However, there are some policy changes to note.

 

• Books donated on site will not be accepted

• Inmates can now receive books through the mail. However, the books must come directly from:

                         Booksamillion

                    

Books that arrive from mom and pop book stores, Barnes & Nobel and/or are shipped through Amazon will NOT be accepted. Even packages that are initially accepted must follow these rules:

 

• 2 Books per week

• Paperback only

• New books only

• When the inmate is finished with the book it becomes property of PCJ

 

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