Inmates are not permitted to have money in their possession. To facilitate their ability to make purchases, an inmate’s money is held in an inmate account, which is opened for them upon arrival at the prison. Inmates’ primary source of income while incarcerated generally comes from family contributions and prison-based employment. Inmates may use the money to buy items from the Commissary and pay fees and other debts.
Deductions
Inmates incur certain costs which are deducted from their accounts. These deductions include medical copayments for health-care service, doctor or dental visits, prescriptions, glasses, dentures, fines and child support. A percentage of funds contributed to an inmate’s account may be used to fulfill any of these financial obligations. One exception is child support, which is deducted from any wages earned while working in the prison. The funds that remain are available for an inmate to spend.
Sending Money
The Utah Department of Corrections uses a third-party provider (Access Corrections) to handle deposits to inmate accounts.Download the deposit options here.Kiosks are at the main visiting entrances at the Utah State Prison and Central Utah Correctional Facility. You will need the inmate’s full name and offender number.
By mail:Download payment formand follow instructions provided.
By telephone: Call 1-866-345-1884 – A $6.95 transaction fee is applied for phone transactions.
By Internet: VisitAccessCorrections.comto establish an account. A $6.95 transaction fee is applied for internet transactions.
At kiosks in visiting areas: The kiosks are available during regular business hours and accept cash, debit or credit cards. A $3 per transaction fee is applied for cash transfers and a $3.95 per transaction fee if using a credit or debit card.
Walk-In locations: Access Corrections has partnered with Cash Pay Today to provide walk-in locations that accept deposits to inmate accounts. VisitCashPayToday.comto register and find locations near you. For more information, call 844-340-2274.
For general questions about Inmate Accounting, please call 801-545-5500.
What may an inmate purchase?
Inmates are allowed to purchase items from the Commissary once each week. The Commissary offers a variety of items (food, hygiene, clothing, stamped envelopes, paper, etc.). The amount of Commissary items an inmate is allowed to purchase, as well as the type of items he or she is allowed to purchase, is dictated by housing facility and individual privilege level.
Will the inmate receive all the money I put on his/her books?
Often the answer is no. Inmate accounts are subject to certain deductions. It is the policy of the Utah Department of Corrections to help offenders manage their income and debts. If an offender has unpaid debts on his/her account, the UDC may take up to 60 percent of all incoming funds to help satisfy all unpaid debts until the debts are paid in full, but will never be less than a $15 balance. Money will also be taken from an offender’s account to satisfy any lien or garnishment that comes from the Office of Recovery Services (ORS), which will never leave less than a $5 balance. Inmates are not denied services due to an inability to pay.
What about medical expenses?
Medical copays are posted to inmate accounts on a weekly basis. If there are sufficient funds in the account to cover copay costs, those funds will be deducted. If there are insufficient funds to cover the copay, a deduction will automatically be placed on the offender’s account, which will take 60 percent of any incoming funds. Inmates are not denied medical services due to an inability to pay.
Will you tell me if/when my money is received?
There is only certain account information that may be shared by our Inmate Accounting staff. Staff can say if a money order/cashier’s check has been received and placed in the account as long as you know the sender’s name and amount of the money order/cashier’s check. Staff will not provide information regarding an offender’s account balance, how much an offender owes on deductions, who else might be placing funds on the offender’s books or if the offender is sending any funds elsewhere.
Books may only be purchased through the prison Commissary and are sent directly to the prison by the book vendor. Each book is inspected before being delivered to an inmate. Family and friends may get a magazine subscription for an inmate by filling out a subscription form listing the inmate, his or her offender number and the facility address. Magazines are then mailed directly to the inmate by the publisher.
You can find a list of banned publications and the banning criteria here (FD03 – Mail – Procedure, section 02.02 – Prohibited Mail). If you have questions about books, magazines or other inmate property issues, contact Inmate Property at 801-522-7771 or 801-522-7772.
Here’s the most recent list; however, other publications are still evaluated on a case-by-case basis and could be denied based on content.
Requests for records related to an offender’s financial account are governed by Utah Code 63G-2, the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). Under GRAMA, offender financial account records are protected and can only be released in limited circ*mstances. A family member, friend, or member of the public seeking these types of records should reach out to the inmate to obtain a power of attorney or notice of release from the inmate. Please note that inmates are not legally obligated to sign such documents but may choose to do so. Inmates can obtain this necessary paperwork from their case managers.
(The Utah Department of Corrections (“UDC”) hereby gives NOTICE that an individual may request a record of an inmate’s financial accountin accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 2, Government Records Access and Management Act (“GRAMA”). As a government agency, UDC is bound by the rules outlined in GRAMA. Many of UDC’s records are classified as “Private” pursuant to GRAMA. Such records include Inmate financial statements (Utah Code Ann. § 63G-2-302).Pursuant to Utah Code Ann. § 63G-2-202, UDC “shall, upon request, disclose a private record to . . .any individual who has a power of attorney from the subject of the record; or who submits a notarized release from the subject of the record dated no more than 90 days before the date the request is made.”)
