Porter County Jail

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The Porter County Jail is located at 2755 State Road 49 in Valparaiso, IN and is a medium security county jail operated by the Porter County Sheriff’s Department.

This page tells you information about anything one might want to know about the Porter County Jail, like how to find out who’s in jail at the Porter County Jail, the jail’s phone number and address, intake procedures, court information, and much, much more.

Top 10 Searches for Porter County Jail

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

Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to give you all the advice and information you need to make the process a lot easier. If you have a question, feel free to ask it in the comment section below, and please leave any tips or comments that would be a benefit to others is appreciated.

Porter County Jail Inmate Search

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Who’s In Jail

The Porter County Jail Inmate Search has information about people who have been arrested and are in custody, which includes current status, and times the inmate can have visitors. Also, you can get information on anybody processed or discharged in the last 24 hours. Jail inmates are shown in alphabetical order by their last name. You will be able to get their arrest information more quickly if you have the arrestee’s name, birth date, or inmate ID.

Porter County Jail Policies and Procedures

Intake Procedures

The jail intake process at the Porter County Jail is made up of these steps:

You will be placed in a waiting area or cell. When the jail is busy, you will have to wait a while to get processed.

The first thing you will have to to is you must answer some basic questions, such as what is your full legal name, address, date of birth and an emergency contact person, and they’ll also ask about your mental and medical history. Next, you’ll be given an inmate number and you will get fingerprinted. Then, Any property you have will get taken away from you and will be stored until you are released.

They will allow you to make a phone call in order to call a family member, friend, or loved-on.

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

Discharge Procedures

When you pay your bail, you will get discharged from jail. Getting discharged takes anywhere from 15 minutes to all day. In simple terms, the faster bail is posted, the quicker you will get let go. How quickly you get discharged depends on if you’ve been given a cash bond or if the magistrate needs to determine how much to set your bail at. For minor offenses, you will be booked and released on your own recognizance. When you have completed your jail sentence and are given a date of your release, plan to be discharged between 9am and noon.

Porter County Jail Visitation

Inmates need to give the name and date of birth of each visitor to the Porter County Jail before you can visit. This information will go into a Visiting log for the inmate. Each visitor will have to provide proof of identification. Anyone arriving late or without a visiting order will be turned away.

Jail visitation policies can change, so it would be wise to call the jail at (219) 477-3050 before go to the jail to visit an inmate.

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Visitation Rules

Before you can visit someone at the Porter County Jail you have to first be on this person’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 mobile phones are allowed at Porter County Jail, and you will be searched. No personal belongings. Persons on must obtain the permission of both the superintendent and their individual supervising officer prior to a visit. This kind of visitation is not going to be approved.

If a visitor is under the age of 18 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 the visitor is younger than 18 years of age 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 magazines to an inmate at the Porter County Jail. Incoming and outgoing inmate mail at the Porter 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 Porter 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 Porter 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 check the court records online or you can call the court directly. You have to have their first and last name. Or, you can just go the jail in person and ask the officer in charge. You should know that if there is a warrant for your arrest, you should be prepared to get taken into custody immediately.

Arrest Record Search

If you have a first and last name, as well as the date of their arrest, contact the Porter County jail, either by phone, in person, or check online. Records of arrests are public record and this is available to anyone.

Court Records

Court Records are public records and available to anyone. Court Records include a court case file that includes a docket sheet and all documents and filings filed in your court case. You can access court records on the internet, or at the clerk’s office of the court where the case was filed.

Criminal Records

Each and every state keeps a record of people’s criminal past. These online databases are all linked so you can track criminal backgrounds from any other state. You can go to courthouse and make an inquiry, or check the website. It helps to know which county the crime occurred in, and if it was in a different state, you may have to pay for a more comprehensive search.

When you look up someone’s criminal record you will get a listing of all the arrests, charges, or convictions for any crimes, which can include, drug Possession of drug trafficking, kidnapping, rape or other sexual assault, violent crimes, or property crimes like theft or larceny.

Money & Commissary

The rules for sending funds to Porter County Jail jail inmates change frequently, so visit the Porter County Jail site when you send any funds.

How To Send Money to an Inmate at Porter 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 Porter County Jail uses changes frequently, so it is best to call them at (219) 477-3050 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 Porter County Jail store. You can buy a number of things here, such as toiletries, snacks and writing supplies. Keep in mind 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 the inmate can buy if they have enough money in their account. These products include clothes, shoes, small snacks and other food items, in addition to personal 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 Porter County Jail inmates are allowed to make are collect calls or through a pre-paid phone account . Jail phone calls are typically more costly than regular phone calls. There is no limit to how often you can use the phone, but inmates should 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, an inmate’s ability to use the phone might get cut back or eliminated completely.

The Porter County Jail phone number is: (219) 477-3050

How To Save Money on Inmate Calls

Correctional facility phone service companies have a monopoly at every facility that they have a contract with, which means that they get to set the prices. The profits these phone service providers make from 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 Porter 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 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 state prisons and local 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 rate and in most cases is able to offer you an inmate calling number that will save you a lot of money on how much it costs you to call your inmate. There are some circumstances where we won’t be able to save you any money, and in these cases we will not offer you an inmate calling number. In these cases, the jail or prison has set their calling prices so high that nobody can save you money.

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

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