Unicoi County Jail Inmate Commissary

Search for an Inmate in Unicoi County

Unicoi County Jail

Address:
1570 Jackson Love Highway
Erwin, TN 37650

Phone:

423-743-1864

Buy Commissary for an Inmate in the Unicoi County Jail

Unicoi County Jail Inmate Commissary - Sending Money or Purchasing Commissary for an Inmate

The Unicoi County Jail allows inmates to purchase commissary. This can be snacks, hygiene products, stamps, stationary, clothing and even electronics.

There is a monthly limit of $200-300 on how much inmates can spend on commissary items. This is subject to change so call the facility at 423-743-1864 in order to confirm the amount that cannot be exceeded.

Inmates have access to both an in-house commissary store, and commissary packages that can be purchased and shipped to the inmate by friends and family.

Scroll down for further information on the commissary program, how it works, what type of things inmates can buy, how often they receive commissary, and a lot more.

You can also go to our Inmate Money page for information on how to send money to an inmate.

Unicoi County Jail Inmate Commissary

Unicoi County Jail uses the services of correctpay.com (aka JailFunds) for you to deposit funds into your inmate’s account so that they can purchase Commissary and/or Gift Packs from this jail’s commissary service.

You can deposit money four different ways:

correctpay Contact, Help and FAQ

24/7 Customer Service - 855-836-3364
Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Inmate Commissary?

Commissary, also known as Canteen, is the ‘store’ within a jail or prison where inmates can purchase items that they want or need to make their stay in jail or prison less of a burden.

Snacks and comfort foods, branded hygiene products they are used to, sneakers and t-shirts, prayer blankets, radios, headphones, television sets, tablets, stationary products and art supplies; depending on the facility, there are thousands of products to choose from.

Some jail and prison systems run their own commissary store, others contract out to companies that serve dozens or hundreds of jails, where inmates and/or their friends and families can purchase products through a website from home, or a kiosk or tablet within their facility.

What items can inmates purchase in jail and prison?

Food
•    Cookies
•    Pastries
•    Candy
•    Tuna and mackerel
•    Coffee and Tea
•    Soft drinks
•    Energy drinks
•    Pizza
•    Hamburgers
•    Chicken fingers
•    Spices

Hygiene
•    Shampoo
•    Soap
•    Shaving supplies
•    Lotions
•    Deodorant
•    Oral care
•    Toilet paper
•    Nail care

Clothing
•    Sweats
•    Sneakers
•    Shorts
•    Underwear and bras
•    Socks
•    Jackets
•    Hats

Electronics
•    Televisions
•    Radios
•    Headphones
•    Tablets
•    Watches

Miscellaneous
•    Playing cards
•    Games
•    Bibles
•    Books
•    Art supplies
•    Stationery supplies
•    Vaping products (only some states)
•    Greeting cards

How much money can an inmate spend on commissary each month?

Generally, the maximum spend in jail is about $300 per month. Prisons allow a bit more as it is more of a permanent home, whereby jail is temporary. To find out how much an inmate in the Unicoi County Jail can spend each month, call 423-743-1864.

How often can inmates purchase commissary?

Some jails it's twice a week, others once a week or every other week. A lot of the online stores care pack companies are once a month. To find out the exact schedule for Unicoi County Jail, call 423-743-1864.

How can a friend or family member deposit money for an inmate in jail or prison?

Unicoi County Jail has its own methods for receiving money for inmates, and that information can be found above or by calling 423-743-1864 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 usually located in the lobby or visitation area of the facility.

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 Unicoi County Jail, this information will be outlined above.

Who are the companies that jails use to send money to inmates?

There are many companies competing for the accounts of jail and prison inmates. Their intention is to alleviate the staffing and financial responsibility of 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

How do I send an inmate money by mail?

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 423-743-1864.

Can I send an inmate money online?

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 Unicoi County Jail contracts with for inmate deposits, call them at 423-743-1864.

How expensive are items on commissary?

Items on commissary are no more expensive than they would be at a local Walmart store.

What is a Commissary deposit?

A commissary deposit is the money that a person on the outside deposits in an inmate’s trust account, so they can have money to spend on commissary and communication services.

How much money can inmate have in his commissary account?

The limit that an inmate can have in their commissary account is usually about $300.00. To find out what the limit is for Unicoi County Jail, call 423-743-1864.

Can I send an inmate a package or care pack??

Many jails contract with companies that send food, hygiene products and/or clothing to inmates. These can be purchased and sent by friends and family on a weekly or monthly basis.

You can only send items from the one that your jail has a contract with. 

An inmate carepack is a pack of snacks and/or hygiene products that friends or family members of an inmate can purchase online and have shipped to an inmate. The carepack company needs to have a contract with the facility before it can be shipped to the inmate.

Check this page, the Money Page or the Commissary Page for further information, or call the jail at 423-743-1864 to see which one that the Unicoi County Jail works with.

Here are the commissary package companies, in alphabetical order, that provide this service to jails in the United States:

Access Securepak
Care A Cell
Commissary order
Correct Pay
Express Account
icare
Inmate Canteen
Jail ATM
Jail Pack Store (McDaniel Supply)
My Care Pack
Oasis (jailcanteen)
Prodigy Solutions
Tiger
Union Supply Direct

Can an inmate buy gifts on commissary?

Not really. Other than the basic supplies mentioned above there are no gifts other than greeting cards that they can fill out and mail to a friend, family or loved one.

Unicoi County Jail Inmate Mail Policies and Address - What Can You Send, and Where?

For inmates receiving mail in the Unicoi 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 Unicoi County Jail:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID#
Unicoi County Jail
1570 Jackson Love Highway
PO Box 8
Erwin, TN 37650


For complete information on mail policies, what you can send an inmate and what address to send them, check out our Inmate Mail page.


 

How Do You Visit an Inmate in Unicoi County Jail?

Other than 'at the jail' visits between you and your inmate at Unicoi County Jail, which is explained and outlined in detail on our Visit Inmate Page, Unicoi County remote video inmate visitation can be done using the services of Inmate Sales utilizing the following instructions:

In order to have a successful video visit with an inmate in Unicoi County, these are the steps to follow:

  • Make sure you have a device a speaker, a camera and a connection to the internet.
  • Register with Inmate Sales.
  • Find Unicoi County Jail
  • Select 'New Purchase'
  • Choose Unicoi County Jail and a product (either 'Remote' or 'Onsite' Visit)
  • Enter your personal information and purchase minutes.
  • Schedule a visit.
  • Call 877-998-5678 if you have any 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 Unicoi County, can be found on our Visit Inmate Page.

Unicoi County Jail Phone: 423-743-1864


 

Unicoi County Jail now offers Inmate Sales Tablets to their inmates.


Inmate Sales also handles inmate phone systems, video visitations, email and texting (they call it chirping) and digital letters.

The tablets can be rented on a monthly basis (or are given to the inmate use for a limited time) and while not directly connected to the internet, the inmates can use them for the following activities:

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:

iphone app download

Google Play download


 

How to Send a Secure Email Message to an Inmate in Unicoi County

To send a secure email message to an inmate in Unicoi County Jail follow these steps:

  • Register with Inmate Sales, the company that handles inmate messaging in Unicoi County, by creating an account.
  • Select Tennessee, then select Unicoi County Jail, and then the inmate you want to send your message to.
  • Choose the amount of money you want to spend, and input your payment method. The funds can also be used by the inmate to send a message back to you.
  • If you want to pay by phone, call 877-998-5678.
  • NOTE: All messages between you and your inmate will be permanently recorded and seen by the staff and could be used against your inmate in court.

-  Chirping is the product name for inmate texting.  
-  This product allows Unicoi County inmates to send chirps (texts) to friends and family members.
-  Inmates will be charged a monthly service fee of $4.00.
-  Inbound and Outbound Chirps are $0.10 each.

Inmate Sales Apps

iphone app
Google Play app

For all information on how to Text/Email an Inmate in Unicoi County Jail check out our Secure Messaging Guide for Unicoi County.


 

How Do Inmates in Unicoi County Jail Make Phone Calls?

To receive phone calls from inmates in Unicoi County, or to assist them in making phone calls to other people, follow these steps:

  • Unicoi County Jail uses the services of a company named Inmate Sales.
  • Register with them online or call them at 877-998-5678
  • Agents are available M-F from 8:00 AM - 12:00 midnight EST, Saturdays from 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM, and speak both English & Spanish.
  • Services for Unicoi County inmates and their families and friends include: Collect Calling, PIN Debit, Purchasing Calling Cards, Deposits, Messaging & Video Visitation.

iphone app
Google Play app

For all the information regarding phone calls with Unicoi County inmates; rules, policies, phone calling times, limits and more visit our Inmate Phone Page.


 

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Unicoi County

To send commissary money to an inmate in Unicoi County Jail follow these steps:

  • Register with correctpay by creating an account.
  • Select Tennessee, then select Unicoi County Jail, and then the inmate you want to send money to.
  • Choose the amount of money you want to send, and input your payment method.
  • You can deposit money four ways:
  • Deposit online at correctpay.com.
  • Deposit at the VendEngine kiosk in the Unicoi County Jail lobby.
  • Deposit over the phone 24/7 at 855-836-3364
  • Deposit through their iOS or Android app.

For all information on how to Send Money to an inmate's account, what the fees are, how long it takes to hit their account and more, check out our full money and commissary guide for Unicoi County Jail.


 

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