County Jail
A county jail is a local detention facility operated by a county sheriff's office that primarily holds people awaiting trial or serving short sentences of one year or less.
What Is County Jail?
County jails are run by county sheriff's departments rather than state or federal agencies. They serve two main groups: people who have been arrested and are awaiting trial, called pretrial detainees, and people who have been sentenced and are serving shorter sentences of one year or less. The rules and communication systems at county jails can vary significantly from one county to the next, even within the same state. Population sizes range from small rural facilities to large urban jails holding thousands of people.
GettingOut and ConnectNetwork are the two most common communication platforms at county jails. GettingOut, operated by Telmate, is particularly well known for its video visitation product, which many county jails use for both scheduled in-person kiosk visits and remote video calls from home. ConnectNetwork is widely used for phone calls. Some jails use both platforms under separate contracts: one for video and messaging and another for phone calls.
County jail communication does not carry over to state prison. If your loved one is transferred from a county jail to a state prison after sentencing, your GettingOut or ConnectNetwork account for that jail's specific services will not apply at the new facility. You will likely need to create a new account with the state prison's contracted provider. Any unused balances in your previous account may be refundable. Contact the platform's customer service to ask about refunds after a transfer.
Related Providers
Communication providers that are relevant to County Jail.
Related Terms
Explore other glossary terms that are closely connected to this topic.
Correctional Facility
A correctional facility is any institution operated by a government agency or private company that houses people who have been arrested, are awaiting trial, or are serving a court-ordered sentence.
Facility TypesState Prison
A state prison is a correctional facility operated by a state government's department of corrections that holds people convicted of state-level felonies serving sentences of more than one year.
CommunicationVideo Visitation
Video visitation is a scheduled video call service that allows families to see and speak with incarcerated loved ones through a secure platform, without traveling to the correctional facility.
CommunicationInmate Messaging
Inmate messaging is a digital service that lets families and approved contacts send written messages to incarcerated loved ones through a facility-contracted platform such as JPay or CorrLinks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about County Jail, answered in plain language.
What is the difference between a county jail and a state prison?
Which platform should I use for county jail communication?
How long can someone stay in a county jail?
Can I visit someone in a county jail in person?
Does a GettingOut account work at state prisons?
People Also Ask
Related questions families often search for alongside this topic.
What is Correctional Facility?
A correctional facility is any institution operated by a government agency or private company that houses people who have been arrested, are awaiting trial, or are serving a court-ordered sentence.
Read full definitionWhat is State Prison?
A state prison is a correctional facility operated by a state government's department of corrections that holds people convicted of state-level felonies serving sentences of more than one year.
Read full definitionWhat is Video Visitation?
Video visitation is a scheduled video call service that allows families to see and speak with incarcerated loved ones through a secure platform, without traveling to the correctional facility.
Read full definitionWhat is Inmate Messaging?
Inmate messaging is a digital service that lets families and approved contacts send written messages to incarcerated loved ones through a facility-contracted platform such as JPay or CorrLinks.
Read full definitionReady to Get Started?
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