Schenectady County Jail

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The Schenectady County Jail is located at 320 Veeder Avenue in Schenectady, NY and is a medium security county jail operated by the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Department.

This guide will tell you all the information about anything one might want to know about the Schenectady County Jail, such as how to locate an inmate at the Schenectady County Jail, the jail’s address and phone number, intake procedures and booking, how to find your court records, and more.

Top 10 Searches for Schenectady County Jail

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

Introduction

This guide is meant to give you all the information and advice that you need to make getting locked up easier. If you have a specific question, please feel free to ask it in the comment section below, and also any comments or feedback that could help others is welcome.

Schenectady County Jail Inmate Search

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Who’s In Jail

The Schenectady County Jail Inmate Locator has information about people who have been arrested and are in jail, including custody status, and visiting schedule. Also, you can find info on anyone who has been arrested or released in the past 24 hour period. Inmates are shown in alphabetical order by their last name. You’ll be able to get the information fast if you have their first and last name, birth date, or arrest number.

Schenectady County Jail Policies and Procedures

Intake Procedures

The jail intake procedure at the Schenectady County Jail takes you through these steps:

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

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

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

If you are expected to be released quickly, you might be able to wear your own clothes, otherwise you you will have to wear a jumpsuit.

Discharge Procedures

When you pay your bail, you will get discharged from jail. Getting discharged can take from 30 minutes to quite a few hours. In other words the faster bail is posted, the quicker you will get discharged. Also, how fast you get released can depend on whether or not you’ve got a cash bond amount or if a judge still needs to figure out how much your bail will be. For lesser charges, you will be booked and then released on your recognizance without having to pay bail. When you have completed your jail sentence and know the release date, you should plan to be released between 9am and noon.

Schenectady County Jail Visitation

In order to have visitors, inmates need to give each visitor’s name to the Schenectady County Jail in advance. This information will be put into the visitors log as an Authorized visit. Each and every visitor will be required to provide identification. Any visitors that gets to visitation or without a visiting order will not be allowed to visit the inmate.

Jail visitation policies frequently change, so it would be wise to call the facility at (518) 388-4300 before go to the jail to visit an inmate.

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Visitation Rules

Before you can visit someone at the Schenectady County Jail you have to first be added to their visitation list.

Make sure to bring your up to date government issued ID or driver’s license with you to visitation or you will not be allowed to enter.

No cellphones are allowed at Schenectady County Jail, and you will be searched before you can visit. Personal belongings are not allowed. Anyone parole, probation, or other corrections supervision must obtain the permission of both their individual supervising officer and the superintendent before visiting. This kind of visitation 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 the 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 in order to send letters, photos, postcards, greeting cards and even magazines to an inmate at the Schenectady County Jail. Incoming and outgoing inmate mail at the Schenectady 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 Schenectady 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 Schenectady 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 might have a warrant out for your arrest, you can check court records on the website or you are able to call the court directly. You have to have the person’s first and last name. Or, you can just go the jail in person and ask one of the officers. You should be clear that if there is a warrant for your arrest, they will take you into custody immediately.

Arrest Record Search

If you know a person’s name, and possibly an arrest date, contact the jail, on the phone, in person, or find out online. Records of arrests are a matter of public record and this information is 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 filed in the court case. You are able to access court records via the internet service ‘Public Access to Court Electronic Records’, or at the Schenectady County Clerk of Court office in the jurisdiction where the case was filed.

Criminal Records

Each and every state maintains a record of someone’s criminal past. These state databases are all connected and you can track criminal backgrounds from other states. You are able to go to the Schenectady County Courthouse and make an inquiry, or check the website. It helps to know the county, and if the crime was in a different state entirely, you might have to pay a fee for a more comprehensive search.

A search of someone’s criminal history you can get a report detailing any arrests, charges, or convictions that may be on a person’s record for DWI or DUI, drug Possession of drug trafficking, kidnapping, sexual offenses including rape, assault, violent crimes, or theft.

Money & Commissary

The rules for sending funds to inmates is likely to change, so you should visit the Schenectady County Jail website before send money to someone in jail there.

How To Send Money to an Inmate at Schenectady 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 Schenectady County Jail uses changes frequently, so it is best to call them at (518) 388-4300 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 Schenectady County Jail store. You can buy different things here, such as toiletries, snacks and writing supplies. Bear in mind that you will probably want to use the commissary daily, and any infractions will cause you to lose commissary privileges.

The Commissary will sell an assortment of different products that the inmate can buy if they have enough money in their commissary account. These products include clothes, shoes, small snacks and other food items, as well as hygiene products like 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

Phone calls that inmates are allowed to make from the Schenectady County Jail are collect calls or through a pre-paid phone account . Calls made in jail are typically pricier than phone calls made outside of jail. Phone calls are restricted on how often you can use the phone, but inmates should keep in mind that there are a limited number of phones, so all the inmates must share phone time. If you are under any sort of disciplinary procedure, your ability to use the phone may be limited or forbidden.

Phone Number: (518) 388-4300

How To Save Money on Inmate Calls

Correctional facility phone service companies have a monopoly at every facility that they operate the phone services for, which means that they they control the prices. The profits 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 Schenectady County Jail. The rates are posted and there are at least two pricing tiers based on where the inmate is calling. These three factors 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 learning how to decrease 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 inmate phone calls. There are some circumstances where we will not 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 has set their phone call rates in a way that nobody will be able to save you money.

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

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