Address:
Bridgeport Correctional Center
1106 North Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Phone:
475-225-8000
There are several methods for depositing money on an inmate's account. You can find out how to do this by calling the Bridgeport Correctional Center at 475-225-8000 and asking, or you can scroll down and review the different methods.
1. Mail an inmate a money order or cashier’s check from a trusted source such as the Post Office, a local bank, or Western Union. The money order should be be made out to either the inmate or the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office, with the inmate’s name and ID# on the memo line of the check.
When mailing a money order or cashier’s check, send it an envelope by itself. Never send it with a letter or photos for your inmate, unless the facility allows it. Never send personal checks or cash.
2. Deposit cash or use a debit or credit card using a dedicated kiosk for this purpose. The machine is located in the lobby or visitation area of the Bridgeport Correctional Center.
3. The Bridgeport Correctional Center has a reception desk that may accept cash, money orders or cashier checks. Call 475-225-8000 to find out the specific hours for drop off times.
4. The Bridgeport Correctional Center may contract with a third party service which accept inmate deposits online, by mail or over the phone, or even in ATM machines you can find in check cashing stores and retail outlets across the country. Call 475-225-8000 for the company information, along with a list of these companies, or find it by scolling down below.
There are four ways to deposit money in an inmate's account in the Connecticut State Department of Correction:
In order to do any of these you need to know the exact name the inmate is incarcerated under, and their Inmate ID#.
If you can't find the inmate and booking number online, call the Trust Fund Office at 860-692-7670.
1. Bridgeport Correctional Center and JPAY.
2. Bridgeport Correctional Center and Western Union.
First, you need to know the exact spelling of the inmate's name and inmates ID #
You also need to know these codes.
Codes:
Pay to: CONNECTICUT DOC
Code City: CTDOC
State: CT
Senders Account #: Inmate Number + Last Name (ex: 00123456SMITH)
Attention: Leave this blank
Western Union Facilities -
Deposit funds in-person at Western Union.
Codes:
Pay to: CONNECTICUT DOC
Code City: CTDOC
State: CT
Senders Account #: Inmate Number + Last Name (ex: 00123456SMITH)
Attention: Leave this blank
3. Bridgeport Correctional Center and Touchpay
Options for putting money in an inmate's account:
Option 1 - Dropping Money at one of the prisons:
Bring money to the following prisons in person.
Hartford
177 Weston Street
Hartford, CT
Chesire
900 Highland Avenue
Chesire, CT
York
201 West Main Street
Niantic, CT
You will use a Touchpay self-serve kiosk in the lobbies that accepts cash, debit or credit cards.
Option 2 - Deposit Inmate Money Online
Option 3 - Make an Inmate Deposit over the Phone by calling Touchpay at 866-232-1899.
To do this you will need the inmate's offender # (inmate ID #), full legal name, and Facility Locator Number. Call 475-225-8000 to get the Facility Locator Number.
4. Bridgeport Correctional Center and Mailing a Payment
When sending an inmate money by mail, the Bridgeport Correctional Center will only accept:
**Important Notes**
Mailing Address:
Inmate Trust Fund
P.O. Box 290800
Wethersfield, CT 06129-0800
Funds are only accepted from the following sources:
Rules Regarding Picking up Money When an Inmate is Released from the Bridgeport Correctional Center
Final Check Request: Former inmates may request a check for their remaining funds by completing a Request for Account Balance Form and mailing it to:
Inmate Trust Fund
24 Wolcott Hill Rd.
Wethersfield, CT 06109
If you have any questions, call the Trust/Finance Office at 860-692-7670
How do I send money to an inmate in the Bridgeport Correctional Center?
Who are the companies that jails use to send money to inmates?
How do I send money by mail to an inmate in the Bridgeport Correctional Center?
Can I send an inmate money using the internet?
What are considered ‘inmate funds’?
How much money can an inmate have in their account while in the Bridgeport Correctional Center?
How much money can I send an inmate at one time?
Is it illegal for an inmate in the Bridgeport Correctional Center to have cash?
If an inmate can’t have cash in jail, how do they purchase contraband or gamble?
What are things inmates use or trade in lieu of cash?
What kind of food can an inmate purchase on Commissary in the Bridgeport Correctional Center?
What items can inmates purchase in the Bridgeport Correctional Center?
Important tips about sending money to an inmate in the Bridgeport Correctional Center
Bridgeport Correctional Center has its own methods for receiving money for inmates, and that information can be found above or by calling 475-225-8000 and asking, however all jails and prisons all receive money for an inmate’s trust and commissary account, as well as an account used for communications, pretty much the same way.
1. Mailing an inmate a money order or cashier’s check from a trusted source such as the Post Office, a local bank, or Western Union. The Money order should be be made out to either the inmate or the facility, with the inmate’s name and ID# on the memo line of the check.
When mailing a money order or cashier’s check, send it an envelope by itself. Never send it with a letter or photos for your inmate.
Never send personal checks or cash either.
2. Deposit cash or use a debit or credit card to send an inmate money using an ATM machine that is located in the lobby or visitation area of the Bridgeport Correctional Center.
3. Some jails have a reception desk or booth that is open during certain hours that they will list on their website. They will accept cash, money orders or cashier checks. Other facilities that don’t have a human manning the desk will have mail drop where you can leave a money order or check. No cash can be left in these boxes.
4. There are multiple companies that jails and prisons contract with which accept inmate deposits online, by mail or over the phone, or even in ATM machines you can find in check cashing stores and retail outlets across the country.
If one of these companies (listed in the next question) works with Bridgeport Correctional Center, this information will be outlined at the top of this page.
There are many companies competing for the accounts of jail and prison inmates. Their intention is to alleviate the staffing and financial responsibility of the jail handling inmate’s accounts. They usually charge a fee equal to 3-5% of the total deposit.
The companies, in alphabetical order, are:
Access Corrections
AllPaid (aka GovPayNet)
Care A Cell
Cash Bond Online
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
CommissaryDeposit.com
Correct Solutions Group
Correctpay
Ctel
Edevo
Express Account
gettingout
GTL
Inmate Canteen
InmateSales
JailATM
Jail Pack Store (McDaniel Supply)
Jailpayments.com
Jpay
NCIC
JailCanteen (Oasis)
Paytel
Pigeonly
Prodigy Sales
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Tennessee Business Enterprise
Tiger
Touchpay
To send an inmate money by mail you first have to have the money converted to a money order, preferably from the US Post Office, or a Cashier’s Check. Never send cash, and never send a personal check.
To find the address for sending money to an inmate, call the jail at 475-225-8000 or check out the money deposit instructions above.
Almost every facility contracts with a company that helps friends and families of inmates send them money. The list can be found above.
To find out who Bridgeport Correctional Center contracts with for inmate deposits, call them at 475-225-8000 or go to the top of this page for deposit instructions.
Inmate funds are the cash that an inmate has on themselves when they are booked into jail, plus the money that friends and family add while they are incarcerated. Inmate funds are also known as ‘inmate trust account’, ‘inmate commissary account’, and ‘inmate money account’.
Typically, most jails allow an innate spend no more than $300-400 per month on snacks and hygiene products, with another $300 spent on phone calls and other communication services. Some jails limit the amount an inmate can spend on snacks to as low as $100 per month, but that is rare.
To find out how much the Bridgeport Correctional Center allows, call the jail at 475-225-8000.
Most jails limit the amount that you can send an inmate to $200 at one time. If a money order exceeds $50.00 some jails will hold the money for up to 30 days before releasing it. The quickest way to get money on an inmate’s account is to deposit it either online or over the phone with the outside vendor that the Bridgeport Correctional Center works with.
It is not illegal for an inmate to have cash, but it is considered contraband and will be confiscated by the Bridgeport Correctional Center if it is discovered. There could be additional punishment such as the inmate having their phone use or visitation limited. It is unlikely that criminal charges will be levied though.
Inmates are very creative in coming up with alternatives to cash for buying goods and services and taking part in gambling and other recreational activities.
• Some jails use stamps as a form of currency.
• Some use a “unit”, which is basically a candy bar, bag of chips or foil package of tuna.
• Some buy goods and services for a “tray”, which is basically a meal, especially one that contains food that may be in demand, such as “chicken on the bone”.
• Some will trade a service such as legal research, haircutting, jail artwork to send to a loved one.
• Some will agree to clean another’s cell in exchange for a candy bar or some coffee.
Basically, everything and anything can be used for trade instead of cash, but one thing is for certain, in jail, you must pay your debt. If you agree to do something when it comes to owing “money”, and you don’t pay, you may end up with a broken jaw when you least expect it.
Inmates in jail and prisoners in prisons, in lieu of cash, trade food, meals, haircuts, cell cleaning, legal research, artwork and communication credits (phone, email, etc.).
Commissaries carry every type of food imaginable:
• Cookies
• Pastries
• Candy
• Tuna and mackerel
• Coffee
• Tea
• Soft drinks
• Energy drinks
• Pizza
• Hamburgers
• Chicken fingers
• Spices
Some jails have larger selections than others, and some contract with companies that ship in gift packages of food, and even fast food that can be reheated.
Prisons in Canada even have small fast-food outlets that operate within the jail.
Besides the food products mentioned above, inmates can purchase on commissary:
• hygiene products like soaps, shampoos and lotions,
• clothing like sweats, t-shirts, hoodies and sneakers,
• stationary supplies
• religious garments
• books
• televisions, radios and headphones
• movie and television programming
• educational courses
Sometimes an inmate's commissary money is used to purchase items to pay gambling debts or purchase prescription medicine from another inmate. If your inmate is spending more than $10.00 a day on commissary items, you are most likely paying for him or her to gamble or buy drugs.
Some inmates, specifically those who are targeted for being weak or are in jail for rape or child molestation, are forced to relinquish their commissary to avoid regular beatings from other inmates.
If you think your inmate is being targeted for violence or having their commissary taken to avoid beatings, contact the Bridgeport Correctional Center and ask to investigate. If an inmate is being targeted, most jails will intervene and have the victim placed in protective custody, away from the general population.
Put your financial needs first and the inmate's second. Don't forget, the inmate is getting three free 2,000 calorie meals a day. The food may not be of the highest quality, but the commissary food is generally much less nutritious.
People who have never been to jail would be surprised by the large amount of candy, snacks, art supplies, playing cards, hygiene products and clothing that can be purchased through this jail's commissary.
Bridgeport Correctional Center Commissary Order Sheet.
The Bridgeport Correctional Center Commissary Instructions and Information can be found on this page. If you need more information contact the jail by calling 475-225-8000.
