Ottawa County Jail

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The Ottawa County Jail is located at 12130 Fillmore Street in West Olive, MI and is a medium security county jail operated by the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department.

This page will tell you all the information about anything related to the Ottawa County Jail, such as how to do a jail inmate search, the jail’s address and phone number, booking and intake procedures, how to find your court records, and much more.

Top 10 Searches for Ottawa County Jail

1. Ottawa County Jail Information
2. Ottawa County Jail Inmate Search
3. Ottawa County Inmate Search in West Olive, MI
4. Ottawa County Jail Visitation Rules
5. Ottawa County Jail Visitation Hours
6. How To Save Money on Inmate Calls at Ottawa County Jail
7. How to Send Inmate Care Packages to Ottawa County Jail
8. What is Inmate Commissary?
9. How to Send Money to an Inmate at Ottawa County Jail
10. How to Search Ottawa County Arrest Records

Introduction

The goal of this guide is to give you information that you’ll need to make the process easier. If you have a specific question, feel free to ask them, and please leave any feedback or comments that could be beneficial to others would be appreciated.

Ottawa County Jail Inmate Search

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Who’s In Jail

The Ottawa County Jail Inmate List has information about individuals who have been arrested, including current status, and visiting hours. You can also get information for anybody arrested and booked or discharged within the past 24 hour period. Jail inmates are listed in alphabetical order by last name. You will be able to find their arrest information more quickly if you’ve got your friend or family member’s full name, date of birth, or inmate ID.

Ottawa County Jail Policies and Procedures

Intake Procedures

The intake process at the Ottawa County Jail is made up of the following steps:

They’ll put you in a holding cell. If the jail is really busy, you will have to wait a while to get processed.

The first step is that you must answer some questions, like what is your full name, address, birthdate and an emergency contact person, and they’ll also ask about your medical and mental history. Next, you will be issued an inmate number and your fingerprints will be taken. Then, all of your personal property will be taken away from you and stored until you get discharged from jail.

They will let you use the phone to talk to a member of your family, friend, or somebody else who can help you get out.

If they expect that you will make bail and be released quickly, they will let you keep wearing your own clothes, but if you are not expected to make bail quickly you you will be given a jail jumpsuit.

Discharge Procedures

When you pay your bail, you will be allowed to leave jail. This process may take between 30 minutes to all day. Or, simply, the faster bail is posted, the sooner you can get out of jail. Also, it might depend on if you have a cash bond or if the magistrate needs to decide on your bail amount. For a minor charge, you will be booked and released on your own recognizance. If you have served a sentence in jail and are given a discharge date, you should expect to be discharged in the morning.

Ottawa County Jail Visitation

Inmates have to list each visitor’s full name to the Ottawa County Jail in advance of the visit. Your visitor’s names will be entered into a log of visitors for the inmate that requested the visitor. Each and every visitor will have to provide a photo ID when visiting. Any visitors that arrives for visitation late or that does not have a visting order will not be allowed to visit the inmate.

Visitation procedures can change, so you should call the jail at (616) 786-4140 before go to the jail to visit an inmate.

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Visitation Rules

Before you can visit someone at the Ottawa County Jail you must first have your name on the inmate’s approved visitation list.

Make sure to take your up to date government issued ID or valid driver’s license when you go to visitation or you will not be allowed to enter.

No phones at Ottawa County Jail, and you will be searched before visiting. Personal belongings are not allowed. Anybody parole, probation, or other corrections supervision must get the permission of both their individual supervising officer and the superintendent before they can visit. Usually is not normally approved.

If the visitor is younger than 18 years of age and is a family member of 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 of age and is not a family member of 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 Ottawa County Jail. Incoming and outgoing inmate mail at the Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 have an outstanding warrant for your arrest, you can access court records on the website or you are able to call the jail. You have to have their first and last name. You can also go to the local jail and inquire at the information desk. You should know that there is an outstanding warrant for your arrest, they will take you into custody immediately.

Arrest Record Search

If you know the person’s first and last name, as well as the date of their arrest, contact the Ottawa County jail, on the phone, in person, or look online. Arrest records are public record and these records are freely available.

Court Records

Court Records are considered public records, so they are accessible to anyone who requests them. These records include a court case file that includes a docket and any documents and filings filed in your case. You can access the court records via the internet, or at Clerk of Court where the case was filed.

Criminal Records

Every state keeps a record of their state citizen’s criminal past. These online databases are linked together so you can track criminal histories from another state. You can go to courthouse and inquire, or check the website. It helps to know the county, and in the event that it was in a completely different state, you might have to pay for a more complete search.

A search of someone’s criminal history you are able to get a report detailing any arrests, charges, or convictions that may be on a person’s record for any crimes, which can include, drug offenses such as possession or trafficking, kidnapping, sex offenses which could include rape, and sexual assault, violent crimes, or theft, breaking and entering.

Money & Commissary

The procedure to send funds to Ottawa County Jail jail inmates are always changing, so we suggest that you check the Ottawa County Jail site when you send funds to an inmate.

How To Send Money to an Inmate at Ottawa 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 Ottawa County Jail uses changes frequently, so it is best to call them at (616) 786-4140 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 Ottawa County Jail store. Inmates can purchase a number of things here, such as personal items, food, and things for writing. Keep in mind that you will most likely need to buy things from the commissary every day, and any infractions will cause you to lose commissary privileges.

The Commissary will sell an assortment of different items that inmates can purchase if they have money in their account. These products include clothes, shoes, small snacks and other food items, in addition to hygiene products including 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 Ottawa County Jail inmates are allowed to make are with a pre-paid phone card or account, or are collect calls . Phone calls made in jail are a lot more expensive than phone calls made outside of jail. Phone calls are restricted on how often you can use the phone, but you should keep in mind that you are just one of many people who want to talk to their loved ones. If you break the jail rules, phone privileges may be limited or eliminated altogether.

The Ottawa County Jail phone number is: (616) 786-4140

How To Save Money on Inmate Calls

Correctional facility phone service companies have exclusive contracts at each facility that they operate, which means that they they control how much it costs to make phone calls. The profits off of all of the inmate phone calls 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 Ottawa County Jail. The rates are posted and there are at least two different prices based on where the inmate is calling. The following 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 the other correctional facilities like state prisons, and local and county jails figuring out how to decrease your inmates phone charges is more difficult. ArrestedResources.com keeps up to date with all of the changes that affect your inmate’s 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 circumstances where we will not 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 inmate 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 Ottawa County Jail, click the link below.

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