Erie County Jail

---

The Erie County Jail is located at 2800 Columbus Avenue in Sandusky, OH and is a medium security county jail operated by the Erie County Sheriff’s Department.

This guide will tell you information about everything you might need to know about the Erie County Jail, like how to find an inmate at the Erie County Jail, the jail’s address and phone number, booking and intake procedures, how to find Erie County court records, and everything else.

Top 10 Searches for Erie County Jail

1. Erie County Jail Information
2. Erie County Jail Inmate Search
3. Erie County Inmate Search in Sandusky, OH
4. What Are the Visitation Rules for Erie County Jail
5. What Are the Visitation Hours for Erie County Jail
6. How To Save Money on Inmate Calls at Erie County Jail
7. How to Send Inmate Care Packages to Erie County Jail
8. What is Inmate Commissary?
9. How to Send Money to an Inmate at Erie County Jail
10. How to Search Erie County Arrest Records

Introduction

The goal of this guide is to give you advice and information that you need to make going to jail less stressfull. If you have questions, just ask them, and please leave any feedback or comments that would be a benefit to other people in the same situation is much appreciated.

Erie County Jail Inmate Search

---

Who’s In Jail

The Erie County Jail Inmate Locator is an online list of people who have been arrested and are in custody, including status, and visiting hours. Also, you are able to find info for anybody who has been arrested or discharged within the last 24 hours. Prisoners are listed alphabetically by last name. You will be able to find the information faster if you have your friend or family member’s first and last name, birth date, or arrest number.

Erie County Jail Policies and Procedures

Intake Procedures

The jail intake process at the Erie County Jail includes the following steps:

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

First, you must answer a bunch of questions, like what is your legal name, your address, date of birth and an emergency contact person, and they’ll also ask you about your psychological and medical history. Next, You will be given an inmate ID number and you will get fingerprinted. Then, any personal property you have will be taken from you and stored until you get released.

They will let you make a phone call so you can call a member of your family, friend, or loved one.

If you think you will get released quickly, you might be allowed to skip the jumpsuit and keep wearing your own clothes, otherwise you you will be given a jail jumpsuit.

Discharge Procedures

When you finally post bail, you will get discharged from jail. Getting discharged from jail will take from 10 minutes to all day. So, the faster you can pay your bail, the faster you can get out of jail. Also, how fast you get released will depend on whether you’ve got a cash bond amount or if the judge still needs to determine how much to set your bail at. For minor charges, you will be booked and then released on your recognizance without having to pay bail. When you get to the end of your sentence and know the discharge date, you should plan to be discharged anywhere between the hours of 9am and 12pm.

Erie County Jail Visitation

Inmates need to give the name and date of birth of each visitor to the Erie County Jail before you can visit. Your visitor’s names will go in the visitors log for the inmate that requested the visitor. Each visitor has to provide identification. Any visitors arriving late or any visitors that are not approved to visit will not be allowed to attend visitation.

The Erie County Jail visitation procedures are always changing, so it would be wise to call the official Erie County Jail at (419) 627-7569 before go to the jail to visit an inmate.

---

Visitation Rules

In order to visit someone at the Erie County Jail you must first be on their approved visitation list.

Be sure to bring your up to date government issued ID or driver’s license when you go to visit because you will not be allowed to enter without it.

No phones at Erie County Jail, and you will be searched before entering. No personal belongings. Anybody on must obtain the permission of both the superintendent and their individual supervising officer before they can visit. Usually is not approved.

If a visitor is under the age of 18 is related to the inmate, they must 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 of age and is not related to the inmate, the minor 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 magazines to an inmate at the Erie County Jail. Incoming and outgoing inmate mail at the Erie 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.

---

Sending Other Things to an Inmate

There are strict procedures that you must follow to send anything to an inmate at the Erie 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 Erie 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 think you have an outstanding warrant, you can access court records on the Erie County jail website or you are able to call the court directly. You have to have their first and last name. Or, you can just go down to the jail and inquire at the information desk. You should be clear that there is an outstanding warrant for your arrest, you will be taken into custody immediately.

Arrest Record Search

If you know the person’s first and last name, and their arrest date, contact the jail, either by phone, go there in person, or you can check online. An arrest is in the public record and the information is freely available.

Court Records

Court Records are considered public records, so they are accessible to anyone who requests them. Court Records include a court case file containing a docket and all of the filings and documents filed in the case. You are able to access your court records on their website, or at the Erie County Clerk of Court office in the county where the case was filed.

Criminal Records

Every state maintains a record of people’s criminal past. These online databases are linked together so you are able to track criminal histories from another state. You can go to courthouse and check in person, or check the website. It is helpful to know the county, and if it was in a completely different state, you may have to pay for a more intensive search.

A criminal history search you are able to find out if a person has ever been arrested, charged or convicted for any of the following crimes, drug offenses, kidnapping, sex offenses which could include rape, and sexual assault, violent crimes like assault or murder, or property crimes like theft or larceny.

Money & Commissary

The process for sending funds to inmates at the Erie County Jail can change at any time, so we suggest that you check the Erie County Jail website before you send any money.

How To Send Money to an Inmate at Erie 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 Erie County Jail uses changes frequently, so it is best to call them at (419) 627-7569 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 Erie County Jail store. You can buy a number of things here, such as personal items, food, and things for writing. Remember that you will probably need to use the commissary daily, and any infractions will get that privilege taken away from you.

The Commissary will sell a selection of different products that inmates can buy if they have sufficient funds in their trust account. These products 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

The only phone calls that Erie County Jail inmates are allowed to make are with a pre-paid phone card or account, or are collect calls . These phone calls are typically more expensive than regular phone calls. Phone calls are restricted on when and how often you can use the phone, but you should keep in mind that every inmate wants to use the phone too, so they can call their family. If you are under any sort of disciplinary procedure, your ability to use the phone may be limited or forbidden.

The Erie County Jail phone number is: (419) 627-7569

How To Save Money on Inmate Calls

Correctional facility phone service providers have a monopoly at every facility that they operate, which means that they get to set the prices. The money these phone service providers make off of all phone calls that inmates make are shared 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 Erie County Jail. The prices are posted and there are at least two types of prices based on where the inmate is calling. These three things will determine how much an inmate phone call will cost: 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 the other correctional facilities like state prisons, and local and county jails learning how to decrease your inmates phone charges can be more difficult. ArrestedResources.com is an expert in keeping up 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 a lot of money on inmate phone calls. There are some prisons or jails where we won’t be able to save you money on your inmate calls, and in these cases we will not offer you an inmate calling number. In these cases, the facility has set their calling prices in a way that nobody will be able to save you money.

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

Return To Main Menu

1524