Benson County Jail

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The Benson County Jail is located at 491 2nd Avenue in Valley City, ND and is a medium security county jail operated by the Benson County Sheriff’s Department.

This site will tell you all the information about everything one might want to know about the Benson County Jail, such as how to do a jail inmate search, the jail’s address and phone number, intake procedures and booking, how to find Benson County court records, and lots more.

Top 10 Searches for Benson County Jail

1. Benson County Jail Information
2. Benson County Jail Inmate Search
3. Benson County Inmate Search in Valley City, ND
4. Benson County Jail Visitation Rules
5. What Are the Visitation Hours for Benson County Jail
6. Discount Benson County Jail Inmate Calls
7. How to Send Inmate Care Packages to Benson County Jail
8. What is Inmate Commissary?
9. How to Send Money to an Inmate at Benson County Jail
10. How to Search Benson County Arrest Records

Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to offer info you need to make getting locked up a little less stressful. If you have specific questions, just ask them, and please leave any feedback or comments that could be beneficial to other people in the same situation will be appreciated.

Benson County Jail Inmate Search

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Who’s In Jail

The Benson County Jail Inmate Lookup is a roster of people who were arrested and are now in jail, which includes current status, and schedule for visitation. Also, you can get information on anybody who has been arrested or released in the past 24 hours. Prisoners are listed in alphabetical order by their last name. You will be able to locate the information more quickly if you enter their full name, birth date, or inmate ID Number.

Benson County Jail Policies and Procedures

Intake Procedures

The jail intake procedure at the Benson County Jail takes you through each of the following steps:

You will be placed in a holding cell. If the jail is really busy, you will have to wait, sometimes for many hours, before you get processed.

You must answer a bunch of questions, like what is your legal name, street address, date of birth and a contact person, and they’ll also ask about your medical and psychological history. Next, you will be issued an inmate ID number and you will be fingerprinted. Then, all of your personal property will be taken away from you and stored until you get discharged from jail.

You will be allowed to make a telephone call so you can talk to a family member, friend, or loved-on.

If they expect that you will make bail and be released quickly, you might get to wear your own clothes, if not you you will be given a jail jumpsuit.

Discharge Procedures

Once bail has been posted, you will get discharged from jail. The discharge process may take from 10 minutes to all day long. So, the quicker bail is posted, the sooner you will be freed. How quickly you get discharged can depend on whether you’ve been given a bond amount or if a judge needs to figure out your bail amount. For a minor charge, you will be booked and get released without having to post bail. When you have served your sentence and are given a date of your release, plan to be released that morning.

Benson County Jail Visitation

To have visitors, you have to give information about each visitor to the Benson County Jail before you can visit. Your visitor’s information will be put into a log of visitors as an authorized visitor. Every visitor must provide acceptable photo identification. Any visitors arriving late or without a visiting order will not be allowed to attend visitation.

The Benson County Jail visitation procedures frequently change, so you should call the jail at (701) 473-5357 before you go to the jail to visit.

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Visitation Rules

To visit someone at the Benson County Jail you must have your name on the inmate’s visitation list.

Make sure to bring your valid driver’s license or government issued ID with you to visitation or you will not be allowed to enter without it.

No phones are allowed at Benson County Jail, and you will be searched before entering. No personal belongings. Anyone currently on must obtain the permission of both the superintendent and their individual supervising officer before they can visit. This kind of visitation is not approved.

If the visitor is younger than 18 years of age is related to the inmate, they will have to be accompanied by an adult family member or guardian to include a member of the inmate’s extended family. If a visitor is younger than 18 years old and is not related to the inmate, this visitor must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Sending Mail to Inmates

This is what you need to know about sending letters, photos, postcards, greeting cards and even magazines to an inmate at the Benson County Jail. Incoming and outgoing inmate mail at the Benson County Jail is always searched and inspected for contraband that might threaten the security, safety or well-being of the facility, its staff, and inmates. Inmates can only receive metered, unstamped, plain white postcards no larger than 4″ x 6″ as mail. The writing on the postcard has to be in pencil or blue or black ink. If it has a stamp on it, it will get returned. If you write in green ink, then it will get returned. If you send any other kind of mail will be returned to the sender. If there is no return address on it, then the unauthorized mail will be stored in the inmate’s locker until the inmate gets release.

Do not include any of these things in the mail that you send to an inmate: any kind of threat to jail order, any description of the manufacture of weapons, bombs, incendiary devices, or tools for escape; do not encourage or advocate any kind of violence, hate speech, or racial or ethnic supremacy. Inmates are not allowed to write to other inmates.

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Sending Other Things to an Inmate

There are strict procedures that you must follow to send anything to an inmate at the Benson County Jail. This includes sending money for to spend in the commissary, sending regular mail or photos, sending money for phone calls, and even postcards.

This page covers everthing you need to know about the Benson County Jail to help you follow these procedures and guidelines. If you have questions, or there is something that you were looking for, but did not find, please contact us using the contact link in the site menu.

Public Records

Warrant Inquiry

If you believe you have an outstanding warrant, you can find out by checking the arrest warrants on the Benson County court website or you can call the jail. This requires a first and last name. Or, you can just go the jail in person and inquire at the information desk. You should be clear that if you do have an outstanding warrant, they will take you into custody immediately.

Arrest Record Search

If you know the person’s first and last name, and the date of their arrest, contact the Benson County jail, either by phone, in person, or look online. Records of arrests are in the public record and the information is accessible by the public.

Court Records

Court Records are public records and available to anyone. These records include a court case file containing a docket and all filings and documents filed in your court case. You are able to access the court records online, or at Clerk of Court where the case was filed.

Criminal Records

Every state keeps a record of someone’s criminal history. These online databases are connected so you can track criminal histories from other states. You can go to the Benson County Courthouse and check in person, or you can check online. It helps to know the county, and if it was in a totally different state, you may have to pay a fee for a more comprehensive search.

A search of someone’s criminal history you will be able to find out if someone has been arrested, charged, or convicted for any crimes, which can include, drug Possession, kidnapping, sex offenses which could include rape, and sexual assault, violent crimes like assault or murder, or theft.

Money & Commissary

The process for sending money to inmates can change at any time, so be sure to check the Benson County Jail site when you send any funds.

How To Send Money to an Inmate at Benson County Jail

You will have your own ‘bank account’ while in jail. This money is used to purchase items from the Commissary. Family and friends can deposit money into this account for you, and any money you earn while in prison will also be deposited into your account. Outside money can be paid in to your account via a money order, cash or check. If someone sends a check or money order, make sure that they write your inmate ID on it. The maximum amount you are allowed in your account is $290 per month.

Guidelines For Sending Money To An Inmate

Before you send any money you should find out what online money transfer companies the jail your inmate is incarcerated in uses. The exact method that the Benson County Jail uses changes frequently, so it is best to call them at (701) 473-5357 to get the current payment method.

You may be required to be on the inmate’s visitation list in order to send them money, and be aware that they may have a limit on how much you deposit at one time, like $200-300 at a time, or a limit on how much money may be in the inmate’s account at one time.

Some of the money transfer firms being used by various facilities include JPay, MoneyGram, AccessCorrections, OffenderConnect, Touchpayonline, JailATM, WU, smartdeposit, and tigercommissary.

If an inmate has fines or are required to pay restitution then they will be subject to garnishment of their commissary/trust account. If the inmate has a garnishment, then money to pay them will be taken from the inmate’s bank account. In some cases it may be a percentage or the entire amount of the obligation, but the actual percentage depends on the circumstances. We recommend that inmates talk to the counselor at their facility and try to find out. You can also try to make an arrangement so that only a percentage of your commissary funds are taken, instead of all your funds take at one time.

Commissary

The commissary is the Benson County Jail store. An inmate can buy different things here, like toiletries, snacks and writing supplies. Remember that you will probably need to use the commissary daily, and any infractions will cause you to lose commissary privileges.

The Commissary will sell an assortment of different items that inmates can buy if they have money in their trust account. These items include clothes, shoes, small snacks and other food items, as well as hygiene products such as soap, shampoo, and disposable razors for shaving. The commissary also sells other things like books and magazines, televisions and radios, playing cards, headphones, MP3 players, and electronic tablets. They also sell everything need to write home to family, friends, and loved ones: paper, envelopes, and stamps. If an inmate is indigent and cannot afford paper and stamps, the jail will provide these things to an inmate who has not had any money in their commissary account for at least 30 days.

Phone Calls & Phone Usage Policy

All phone calls from the Benson County Jail are collect calls or through a pre-paid phone account . Phone calls made in jail are generally more costly than phone calls made outside of jail. There are certain restrictions about how often you can use the phone, but inmates must keep in mind that every inmate wants to use the phone too, so they can call their family. If you are disciplined for an infraction, phone calls could be reduced or eliminated completely, as part of the punishment.

The Benson County Jail phone number is: (701) 473-5357

How To Save Money on Inmate Calls

Correctional facility phone service companies have a monopoly at every facility that they operate, which means that they get to set the prices. The profits these phone service providers make from all phone calls that inmates make are split with the facility, so there is no incentive for the jail or the counselors at the facility to show inmates or their family how to save money on inmate phone calls at the Benson County Jail. The rates are posted and there are at least two different prices based on where the inmate is calling. These three things will determine the cost of an inmate phone call: Where you are located; Where your inmate is located, What type of phone number you have.

For example, if your inmate is in federal prison, if you get a new local number then this will decrease your inmate’s phone call rate from $.21 per minute to only $.06 per minute.

For state prisons and local jails figuring out how to lower your inmates phone charges can be more difficult. ArrestedResources.com keeps up to date with all of the changes that affect your inmate’s calling rate and in most cases is able to offer you an inmate calling number that will save you significantly on how much it costs you to call your inmate. There are some prisons or jails where we will not be able to save you money on your inmate calls, and therefore we will not offer you an inmate calling number. In these cases, the jail has set their phone rates so high that nobody can save you money.

For more detailed information on how to save on inmate calls at Benson County Jail, click the link below.

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