Like any detention center, the Tooele County Jail in Utah enforces strict rules when it comes to inmate correspondence. Friends, relatives, and romantic partners may send letters or receive phone calls from inmates, but all correspondence must be in line with the jail’s policies. If any of your communications break the rules, your letter could be returned, or the phone call could be terminated. Depending on the nature of the violation, it could even get your loved one into trouble. In order to avoid any hassles, it’s worth taking a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the Tooele County Jail’s mail and phone call policies.
If one of your loved ones is in custody at the Tooele County Jail, there’s no time to lose. Police investigators will seize upon the chance to interrogate your loved one while they are scared, disoriented, and alone. It is crucial to ensure that your loved one’s Constitutional rights are being protected against abuses of authority. To set up a free consultation, or to schedule an attorney jail visit, call the law offices of Overson Law at (801) 758-2287. Tooele County defense attorney Darwin Overson has more than 16 years of experience handling misdemeanor and felony charges, including:
- Assault
- Domestic Violence
- Drug Crimes
- DUI (Driving Under the Influence)
- Murder and Manslaughter
- Sex Crimes
- Theft, Robbery, and Burglary
- Vandalism
- Weapons Crimes
Rules for Talking to Inmates on the Phone
Unfortunately, you cannot place calls to inmates at the Tooele County Jail, no matter what your relationship to the inmate may be. The jail’s rules could not be clearer with these five words: “Inmates cannot receive incoming calls.” You will have to wait until an inmate contacts you.
When your loved one does call you, it will be via collect call, so be prepared to spend a little money on your conversation. Fortunately, thanks to new rate caps recently introduced by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), calls are now much cheaper than they used to be: as much as 25% to 50% less. The FCC issued a press release in August of 2013 explaining the new limits and the reasoning behind them.
Cell phones are capable of receiving collect calls, just like landlines. However, since calls from the jail are collect calls, you could run into problems if there’s a block on your phone. Make sure to remove any blocks that could interfere with your loved one’s ability to reach you.
If you have any questions about how calls from the jail work, you’ll need to contact Evercom, the company responsible for the Tooele County Jail’s phone system. To call Evercom, dial (800) 844-6591.
Conversations must not be obscene or discuss criminal activity. Phone calls that violate these rules may be terminated.
How to Add Money to an Inmate’s Account for Prepaid Phone Calls
Detainees at the Tooele County jail can make but not receive phone calls, as long as:
- They have not lost their phone privileges for disciplinary reasons.
- They have enough money in their account to cover the cost of the call.
- The jail is not on lockdown.
Since detainees are not allowed to be in personal possession of cash, you’ll need to fund phone calls yourself. Fortunately, this is very easy to do. There are two ways to add money to a Tooele County Jail inmate’s account:
- Mail cash, a money order, or a cashier’s check to the mailing address supplied above. You may also make a deposit in person. If using cash, please be sure to bring the exact amount you wish to deposit. The jail will not be able to make change for you.
- Visit the website the Tooele County Jail uses for its online transactions: www (dot) inmatecanteen (dot) com. Click the appropriate button on the home page (choose “first visit/sign up” or “existing users/log in”) and follow the prompts on the screen. The website features help videos in case you run into any problems.
Once your loved one has enough money in their account, they will be able to make collect calls. Phone calls are handled by an outside company called Evercom – not by the jail – so if you have any technical questions about using the phone system, you should contact Evercom by calling (800) 844-6591.
Be advised that jail personnel will not pass any messages on to your loved one. You must speak to him or her directly.
If one of your family members was arrested in Tooele County, call Utah criminal lawyer Darwin Overson right away at (801) 758-2287. Darwin is prepared to make emergency visits to the Tooele County Jail 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Rules and Address for Sending Mail to the Tooele County Detention Center
All mail should be sent through the U.S. Postal Service to the following address:
Tooele County Detention Center
(Inmate’s Full Name Here)
1960 South Main Street
Tooele, UT 84074
When sending mail, you should:
- Clearly print your full return address on the envelope. The mail will be discarded if jail personnel cannot read your handwriting, so you should use plain block lettering to avoid any confusion.
You should not:
- Print or doodle on the cover flap of the envelope.
- Put any stickers, sequins, glitter, or other decorations on the outside of the envelope.
- Use pre-printed, stick-on return address labels.
- Mail any hardcover publications.
- Mail any items featuring pornography, profanity, obscenity, depictions of gang activity, or depictions of criminal activity.
- Hide any messages or objects anywhere in the envelope or the contents of your mail. In the interest of safety, all correspondence will be thoroughly inspected inside and out before reaching its intended recipient.
- Send any items which could result in criminal charges.
- Send your loved one a care package. Most of the objects you would think to include, such as magazines, personal care items, and baked goods, are prohibited. However, inmates can buy various items through the jail commissary.
You may:
- Send cashier’s checks or signed money orders. The funds will be credited to your loved one’s account.
- Send a softcover/paperback publication, as long as the book is mailed straight to the jail from the distributor (e.g. Amazon). The book’s original packaging must be intact. You may not add any notes, messages, or drawings to the book.
Sending Money: Loading a Commissary Account
Letters aren’t the only things you can send in the mail. You can also send:
- Cashier’s Checks
- Money Orders
- Official Checks
The funds you send will be added to the inmate’s commissary account, so that your loved one can buy items from the jail store. Commissaries typically sell items like food, clothing, hair products, toiletries, medications, and writing supplies. Commissary orders are limited to $40 per order, and are delivered to inmates on Fridays.
You can also add money to your loved one’s commissary account online by following these steps:
- Visit the website for InmateCanteen (inmatecanteen.com), which is the service that handles commissary orders at the Tooele County Jail.
- If you’re new, click the “First Visit? Sign Up” button. If you’re a returning user, click the “Existing Users/Login” button.
- Follow the prompts to deposit funds.
If your loved one is incarcerated at the Tooele County Jail, or if someone you love has been charged with a crime in Utah, you need an experienced and aggressive Salt Lake City criminal defense lawyer on your family’s side. To set up a free and private case evaluation, call attorney Darwin Overson at (801) 758-2287 today.
