Polk County Detention Center Emailing An Inmate

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Polk County Detention Center

Address:
164 Industrial Access Circle
Benton, TN 37307

Phone:

423-338-8215

Send an Email or Text to an Inmate in the Polk County Detention Center

Sending an Email, Text or Secure Electronic Message to an Inmate

The Polk County Detention Center provides a service which allows secure electronic messaging for their inmates.

The email service they use is called City Telecoin.

City Telecoin is not directly connected to the internet like normal email, but instead each correspondence is first intercepted by the jail's servers. This gives the staff an opportunity to review the messages before delivering them to both inmates and the people that the inmates are communicating with.

Electronic messages received by the inmates are read either on kiosks within the inmate's unit, or or on tablets provided by the third party service that oversees the program.

Allowing inmates access to email has many upsides:

  • It is less expensive than regular mail.
  • It allows for faster turnaround of communication.
  • It allows the jail to monitor inmate communication in real time.
  • Because the jail receives a portion of the revenue, it brings the jail revenue they wouldn't have otherwise.
  • It is an inmate privilege that they don't want to have taken away, and thus can be used as a way to control behavior.
  • It keeps unwanted contraband from entering the facility in the physical mail.

For a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about inmate emailing and texting, scroll down for more information about it or call the jail at 423-338-8215.

Sending Text and Email Messages to an Inmate in the Polk County Detention Center

Polk County Detention Center Allows your Inmate to Receive and Send Text and Email Messages

The Polk County Detention Center contracts with City Tele Coin, the same company that offers Phone and Video Calling, to allow inmates to send and receive digital text messages from friends and loved ones.

You may have to provide them the funds to rent a tablet for a small monthly fee to do this, and of course there is a fee to send and receive messages.

To register for text and email digital message with your inmate go to City Tele Coin and sign up.

Customer Service Contact information:
[email protected]
318-746-1114


 

Can inmates send and receive texts and emails?

Almost all jails and prisons have adopted a messaging system which allows inmates to communicate with their friends and family using an electronic messaging system. It’s neither email nor text, it’s something in between.

The inmate and their contacts do not use their regular email accounts or phone numbers, but account numbers that are set up with the company providing the service.
All communication goes through them. Think of them as a middleman.

Once a contact of the inmate is approved, like the approval process a visitor goes through, an account is set up, using a credit or debit card to fund the account. 

To start, the inmate’s contact can send a message that has a limit of so many characters, usually about one page of text. 

The message is then reviewed by a computer that scans the message for certain keywords or phrases that are not allowed, almost like a censoring service. If the machine scanner finds problems with the message it sends the message to the Polk County Detention Center staff to review, and if they find no issues, will then forward it to the inmate’s account so that they can read it.

If there are problems with the message, it is possible the message will not be sent. The sender will be notified of the decision and will not get a refund.

Once the inmate receives the message, should the account holder have funded the account allowing replies, the inmate can respond with a similar length message.

How much does it cost for an inmate to use a text or email service?

The cost to use the electronic messaging service, which is like texting or emailing, costs between $0.50 and $1.00 per page; a page being about 500 characters.

Can inmates send and receive photos through their messaging system?

Photos can be sent by the inmate’s contact that is not incarcerated, but not by the inmate due to security concerns. There is an extra cost, usually about $0.50 for each photo attached. 

The photos must go through a security screening where nudity, violence and other things are checked before the photo can be delivered. If the photo is rejected, the sender will be notified, but no refund will be given.

The inmate does not have the ability to print out the photos that make it past the screening, but the photos will stay in their account so that they can view them at their leisure. 

Can I send an inmate a link to a video to watch?

No.  Because this is a closed system, the inmate has no access to the internet, thus the inmate will have no access to any links that you send them.

Can I send the inmate a video?

Yes, just as you can send text and photos, you can send a video message, or if not a message, then a video of your children or yourself. Every company has a limit on the length of the video, usually no more than one minute, and at a cost of approximately $2.00 to $3.00 per video.

The video will first be screened for any nudity, excessive vulgarity, violence, etc. If it is rejected on any of the grounds the sender will not be given a refund.

As with the policy of photos, the inmate cannot reciprocate. They cannot send videos of themselves or anything in jail.

What device does an inmate use for texting and emailing?

The jails that contract with the electronic messaging service is given a certain number of kiosks within each unit for inmate use. Inmates can log on as they might with a public computer terminal. 

In addition to the public terminal kiosks, inmates are given (or can rent) access to individual tablets like a bulky, almost indestructible ipad. These allow an inmate to use them to access your messages, photos and videos in a more private manner. 

Should the inmate damage the tablet, they will be responsible for replacing it. The money will be deducted from their commissary account.

What is the inmate text and email system in Polk County Detention Center?

The electronic messaging system used by Polk County Detention Center, if there is one, can be found at the top of this page. If there is no information about the ability to text or email with an inmate, it is possible that the facility has recently changed companies or does not have this service available. Call 423-338-8215 to confirm.

What are the companies that provide inmate electronic messaging services?

This is a list of all the companies in the United States that work with jails and prisons, providing text and email messaging between inmates and their friends and families:

Access Corrections
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
Correct Pay
Corrlinks
Ctel
Edevo
Express Account
Gettingout
GTL
Homewav
IC Solutions
Inmate Canteen
Inmate Sales
JailATM
J Pay
NCIC
Paytel
Pigeonly
Prodigy Sales
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
TBE
Visitel

How do I fund the inmate’s messaging system?

You fund the messaging service with credit and debit cards. All of them take Visa and MasterCard, most also take Discover, and just some take America Express.

How often can an inmate text and email?

There is no limit to the amount of texting and email that an inmate can have with their family and friends.

Can inmates’ text any time of the day or night?

If an inmate has their own tablet, then they can text any time of the day or night, however if the must use the wall mounted kiosk terminal in their unit, they are limited to using it only during the hours they are allowed off their bunks; usually 7:00AM to 10:00PM, excluding meals, head counts and shift changes.

Can inmates email other inmates in other jails or prisons?

No, inmates are not allowed to communicate with each other, nor with inmates in other institutions. There is always a way to get around it, for example if one of the inmates has access to a phone with an internet connection, but this would be the only way.

Polk County Detention Center now offers City Tele Coin Tablets to their inmates.

City Tele Coin is the same company that handles the inmate phone system, video visitations, email and texting and digital letters.

The tablets can be rented or used on a monthly basis and while not directly connected to the internet, the inmates can use them for the following activities:

  • Phone Calls - Inmates may make calls directly from their tablet allowing for more privacy. The rates are the same as the phones in the unit, and the calls are still recorded and monitored.
  • eMessaging - Communicate via a text based message or picture. Fee based system.
  • Education - Free educational platform and course catalog that provides thousands of educational resources.
  • Self Help -Inmates have daily access to mental health and addiction recovery programming.
  • Music - Top-40, Hip-Hop, Country, Rock, Gospel, and more.
  • Law Library -  Legal research with up-to-date case information.
  • eBooks - Thousands of available titles.
  • Religion - Religious resources for spiritual guidance.
  • Games - Inmates can play their favorite games. Available through monthly subscriptions
  • Facility Services - Digital access to submitted forms, requests, facility documents, and notifications from staff.

Here's how it works:

  • Register here.  It is recommended you use Chrome or Firefox.
  • You get charged a full month even if it's only used for a partial month.
  • No activation or early termination fees.
  • Your inmate will recieve their tablet in 3-5 business days, after you pay.

Questions:


 

How to Have Remote Video Visits and Email Communication with an Inmate in Polk County

To register and sign up for a remote visitation account with City Tele Coin to communicate with your Polk County Detention Center inmate, follow the instructions below:

  • Register and create an account with City Tele Coin.
  • City Tele Coin has excellent quality video visits between your home device and a video terminal in the inmate's housing area.
  • You can also send and receive secure messages and use them to make and receive phone calls with your Polk County inmate.
  • This is a fee based service.
  • For more information, you can call City Telecoin from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM CST by dialing 318-746-1114, or email them: [email protected].
  • Visit Inmate 'at the jail' information.

For all the information you need to know, including instructions, policies, tips and solutions to possible issues regarding visiting with an inmate (both at the jail and remotely) in Polk County, visit our full page guide

NOTE: All video visits are recorded and stored. Whatever you talk about, can and will be used against your inmate in court. Never discuss their pending criminal case!
Also, be warned that some video visits providers are collecting voice prints for a database which law enforcement agencies are building.


 

Polk County Detention Center Allows your Inmate to Receive and Send Text and Email Messages

The Polk County Detention Center contracts with City Tele Coin, the same company that offers Phone and Video Calling, to allow inmates to send and receive digital text messages from friends and loved ones.

You may have to provide them the funds to rent a tablet for a small monthly fee to do this, and of course there is a fee to send and receive messages.

To register for text and email digital message with your inmate go to City Tele Coin and sign up.

Customer Service Contact information:
[email protected]
318-746-1114


 

How to Make and Receive Phone Calls from an Inmate in Polk County

To register and sign up for a phone account with City Tele Coin to communicate with your Polk County Detention Center inmate, follow the instructions below:

  • Register and create an account with City Tele Coin.
  • City Tele Coin Phone Services include Prepaid Accounts and Calling Cards for your inmate in Polk County Detention Center to call you and others.
  • You can also send and receive secure messages with your inmate.
  • This is a fee based service, but regular calls are capped at $0.21 per minute and collect calls capped at $0.25 per minute.

For all the information you need to know, including instructions, policies, tips and solutions to possible issues regarding making phone calls with an inmate in Polk County, visit our full page guide

NOTE: All phone conversations and messages are recorded and stored. Whatever you talk about, can and will be used against your inmate in court. Never discuss their pending criminal case!
Also, be warned that some phone providers are collecting voice prints for a database which law enforcement agencies are building.


 

Polk County Detention Center Inmate Mail Guidelines

Postcards
The Polk County Detention Center allows inmates to receive pre-metered postcards like the type purchased from the post office. They may also allow certain photo postcards as long as they have not been tampered with or contain images that may be considered to be obscene or violent in nature.

Envelopes
The Polk County Detention Center also allows envelopes to be mailed to inmates.

Postcards and envelopes MUST be mailed to the following address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID#
Polk County Detention Center
PO Box 1189
Benton, TN 37307



Legal Mail

Send all legal Mail to this Address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID#
Polk County Detention Center
PO Box 1189
Benton, TN 37307



Newspapers
Local or national newspapers may also be mailed to the inmate as long as they are mailed directly from the newspaper publisher.

Magazines
News, special interest or sports magazines may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher. Any magazines that contain profanity, weapons, pornography or other content that is adult in nature will be confiscated by the jail staff and will NOT be delivered to the inmate.

Books
The Polk County Detention Center allows books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as AmazonBarnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address below.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Polk County Detention Center standards will be disposed of. No more than three books may be shipped at any one time.
Hard cover books will not be accepted by the jail due to their potential to be used as a weapon.


All newspapers, magazines and books are to be shipped to:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID#
Polk County Detention Center
PO Box 1189
Benton, TN 37307


 

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Polk County

To send commissary money to an inmate in Polk County Detention Center follow these steps:

  • Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
  • Select Tennessee, then select Polk County Detention Center, and then the inmate you want to send money to.
  • Choose the amount of money you want to send, and input your payment method.

For all information on how to Send Money to an inmate's account check out our full money and commissary guide for Polk County Detention Center.


 

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