Address:
5700 Avenue H
Galveston, TX 77551-4137
Phone:
409-766-2315
The devices are similar to common handheld tablets, but are made exclusively by GettingOut, a GTL / Viapath company.
Tablets offer specialized content and services for inmates to use during their stay at Galveston County Jail, such as:
- Free services are already available for use on the device at Galveston County Jail.
- Subscription services are funded separately by family and friends with deposits made into an inmate’s Debit Link account.
- Galveston County Jail Inmates will then be able to purchase subscription services and premium content to enjoy.
What Does a Tablet Cost?
To estimate costs for phone calls, sign in to your account and click “Rate & Fees Calculator” in the footer (bottom of the page) or call 866-516-0115 for assistance.
You can find information about the Galveston County Jail’s tablet program at the top of this page. If there is no information about it, it is because they either have recently changed companies or are not yet providing this service for inmates. Call 409-766-2315 to confirm.
Inmates in jails and prisons are using tablets for all the communication services available such as video visitation, video phone calls, regular phone calls, and electronic messaging – which is like texting and email.
Tablets are also used for entertainment, such as watching movies, television shows, listening to music and reading e-books. It is also used for education, self-help information, and legal research.
No, they are not connected to the internet. All the messages, visits and programming goes through a system controlled by the company that provides the tablets, and through the jail. They control what each inmate sees. All messages are carefully screened and not delivered if the sender or the inmate violates jail policy.
For accessing visits and messages, the tablets are free to us. Each unit has many of them, all provided by the company that has contracted with the jail. Of course, the video visits and messages have a fee and those are paid for by the inmate’s family and friends who use the service.
That’s the question a lot of people ask and don’t fully understand.
The way the jail staff looks at it, is that if they can keep the inmates busy and distracted, it makes it safer for them.
Tablets also give them a certain power over controller an inmate’s behavior. For example, if an inmate knows that they will lose the privilege of having access to a tablet if they get into a fight or violate another rule or policy, they will be better behaved.
Tablets are one of the few things that make an inmate feel as though they are free, and they don’t want to lose the privilege of having access to one.
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
Gettingout
GTL
Homewav
IC Solutions
Inmate Sales
JailATM
J Pay
NCIC
Oasis
Paytel
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Yes, if an inmate breaks a tablet, then they are responsible for paying for it. The money will come out of their commissary funds, so not only do they lose access to having a tablet as punishment, but they also won’t be able to purchase snacks on commissary.
Because Galveston County and Texas can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Galveston County Jail at 409-766-2315, or the court in the jurisdiction (i.e. Municipal Court, District Court, etc.) where the offender was charged, and do this right after an arrestee has been booked.
Ask the staff at the Galveston County Jail or the Galveston County Court Clerk these specific questions:
If you feel the bail is too high and you wish to get it reduced, contact a lawyer or the defendant's public defender and get them to look into what they can do to get a bail reduction. The sooner you get working on this the quicker you will get your loved one released.
This entire process will go smoother and faster with a criminal attorney or bail agent handling it for you.
For inmates receiving mail in the Galveston County Jail there are different addresses and policies depending on the inmate's status, as well as what type of mail they are receiving; personal mail, legal mail, subscriptions or books sent from a third-party such as Amazon.
All mail is to be shipped to the Galveston County Jail:
Inmate's Full Name
Galveston County Jail
5700 Avenue H
Galveston, TX 77551
For complete information on mail policies, what you can send an inmate and what address to send them, check out our Inmate Mail page.
To mail or email an inmate in Galveston County follow these steps:
When mailing a letter or postcard to an inmate, please follow these instructions:
Emailing Messages & Photos
Facility_name_1} contracts with GTL GettingOut, the same service that handles iInmate Phone Systems and Video Visitation, for sending secure messages and photos between you and your inmate.
If you are not already registered, do so here, or Log in.
Then use the Facility Finder to:
1. Select Galveston County Jail,
2. Add your inmate to your list of contacts,
3. Add a credit or debit card to cover your costs.
Customer Service Questions
'Online' Contact Form, or
Call 866-516-0115
Go here to this FAQ to get answers to how the transition to ViaPath from GTL and gettingout will affect your account.
All the information you need to understand mail and email policies for Galveston County can be found on our Inmate Mail Page and our Text/Email an Inmate Page.
How to Make a Deposit for Phone, Email or Visitation using GettingOut.com
Galveston County Jail uses GettingOut for some or all of its communication services with an inmate.
If you want to deposit money using this company for your use or your inmate's account, there are four ways to do it:
For all the information you need to know, including tips, guidelines and warnings about depositing money in a Galveston County Jail inmate's account for communication services, check out our Send Money page.
To receive phone calls from inmates in Galveston County, or to assist them in making phone calls to other people, follow these steps:
1. Start by confirming that Galveston County Jail has the phone service you need to communicate with your inmate by the facility lookup here.
2. In the meantime, you can create an account here for GettingOut.
3. Then add funds to your account. This account can be controlled by just you, or by both you and your inmate.
4. Last, select Galveston County Jail, and then the inmate you wish to communicate with.
Galveston County Services that are provided by GettingOut, a GTL company:
- Phone Calls & Voicemail
- Video Visits (from home or jail lobby)
- Email & Photo Sharing
- Tablet Rental
- Deposits
Phone & Voicemail Fees
1. GettingOut charges $0.25 per minute for all phone calls, prepaid or collect, within Texas.
2. Prepaid calls between Texas and other states costs $0.21 per minute. International calls are $0.95 per minute.
3. There is a fee of $3.00 every time you add money to your account online, and it costs $5.95 if you add funds over the phone with a live agent.
4. You can also leave an inmate a short voice message for a flat fee of $1.25.
Note: Rates are subject to change.
Types of Phone Calls
Collect Calls
Collect calls allow you to accept and pay for calls to your land line (only) phone account. This means that if you accept your call from your inmate, all the charges for that call will then be billed to your land line phone account and will show up and be listed on your next local phone bill. Additional fees, costs, restrictions may apply.
Prepaid calls (Direct Calls)
With Prepaid Calls you can set up your account so that the inmate can only call you and/or you can just deposit money in their account and they can purchase prepaid phone cards through their commissary and call whoever they choose, provided the Galveston County Jail approves of the phone number.
Quick Connect
Quick connect is an alternative to collect calls. It allows you to quickly pay for a phone call with your credit card. When your inmate calls you, follow the instructions from the automated voice system to pay for that one phone call, directly billed to your card.
Customer Service
If you have any questions about the Galveston County Jail GettingOut phone services, you can call them at 866-516-0115.
* All the information you need to understand making and receiving phone calls with inmates in Galveston County, can be found on our Inmate Phone Page.
To find out how to get access to a tablet for inmate read the following:
1. First, Register or Sign In to GettingOut/GTL
2. Purchase the services you want for your Galveston County Jail inmate.
3. All inmates have free access to the tablets to read their letters from family & friends, but there are many other services available to keep your inmate busy while incarcerated... such as Games, Books, Music and Movies. These other services come with fees that you can pay for when you pay for phone service.
To learn more about Tablet Rentals for inmates, including the cost, all the services available and everything else you need to know, check out our Tablet Rental Page.
To visit an inmate in Galveston County, whether by video or in person 'at the jail', follow these steps:
Other than 'at the jail' visits between you and your inmate, which is explained and outlined in detail on our Visit Inmate Page, Galveston County remote video inmate visitation can be done using the services of GettingOut.
There are three ways to remotely visit your inmate in Galveston County Jail:
1. Using the GettingOut Kiosk at the jail.
2. Using your computer from home.
3. Using your phone on the GettingOut apps.
To remotely visit an inmate in Galveston County follow these steps:
1. Start by confirming that Galveston County Jail's Video Visitation is working correctly by looking up Galveston County here.
2. The next step is to create an account here for GettingOut.
3. Then add funds to your account.
4. Last, select Galveston County Jail, and then the inmate you wish to communicate with.
Other Galveston County Services provided by GettingOut:
- Phone Calls & Voicemail
- Email, Photo & Video Sharing
- Inmate Tablet Rental
- Deposits
Customer Service
If you have any questions about the Galveston County Jail Visitation Services you can call them at 866-516-0115.
Frequently Asked Questions
* All the information you need to have complete knowledge about inmate visitation; policies, rules, fees, schedules, tips, dress codes, and children, lawyers and clergy visitation in Galveston County, can be found on our Visit Inmate Page.
Galveston County Jail Phone: 409-766-2315
To send a commissary carepack (food, snacks and goods) directly to an inmate in Galveston County Jail follow these steps:
For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Galveston County Jail check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Galveston County.