Bay County Jail

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The Bay County Jail is located at 5700 Star Lane in Panama City, FL and is a medium security county jail operated by the Bay County Sheriff’s Department.

This guide tells you info about anything related to the Bay County Jail, like how to find out who’s in jail at the Bay County Jail, the jail’s phone number and address, intake procedures and booking, court information, and much, much more.

Top 10 Searches for Bay County Jail

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

Introduction

This guide is designed to give you information and tips that you’ll need to make helping someone get out of jail easier. If you have a specific question, please feel free to ask them, and also any comments or tips that would help other people in the same situation is welcome.

Bay County Jail Inmate Search

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Who’s In Jail

The Bay County Jail Inmate Locator is a list of people who have been arrested and are in custody, including status, and times you can visit. Also, you can find the same information on anybody arrested and booked or discharged in the last 24 hours. Inmates are listed alphabetically by last name. You will be able to find their arrest information fast if you enter the arrestee’s full name, date of birth, or inmate ID.

Bay County Jail Policies and Procedures

Intake Procedures

The jail intake process at the Bay County Jail includes each of these steps:

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

First you will answer some simple questions, such as what is your legal name, street address, date of birth and an emergency contact, and also, you will also be asked about your medical and psychological history. Next, you’ll be given an inmate number and you will get fingerprinted. Then, all personal property will be taken from you and stored until you are released.

They will allow you to make a phone call in order to contact a member of your family, friend, or somebody else who can help you get out.

If you are expected to be released quickly, you might be allowed to skip the jumpsuit and keep wearing your own clothes, but if you are not expected to make bail quickly you you will have to change into a jail uniform.

Discharge Procedures

When you finally post bail, you will be discharged from jail. Getting discharged can take from 10 minutes to all day. So, the faster you post bail, the quicker you will get let go. Also, it can depend on if you’ve been given a cash bond amount or if the judge still needs to figure out 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 have completed your jail sentence and are given a discharge date, you should expect to get discharged between 9am and noon.

Bay County Jail Visitation

In order to have visitors, inmates need to provide each visitor’s full name to the Bay County Jail before anyone can visit them. Your visitors will be put in the visitation log for the inmate that requested the visitor. Each and every visitor will be required to provide a photo ID when visiting. Any visitors that gets to visitation or that is not an approved visitor will not be able to attend visitation.

The Bay County Jail visitation procedures change often, so we suggest that you call the official Bay County Jail at (850) 747-4700 before you visit an inmate.

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Visitation Rules

To visit an inmate at the Bay County Jail you have to first be on this person’s approved visitation list.

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

No mobile phones at Bay County Jail, and you will be searched before you can visit. No personal belongings. Anybody probation, parole, or other community corrections supervision must obtain the permission of both the superintendent and their individual supervising officer before they can visit. Usually is not going to be approved.

If the visitor is under the age of 18 and is a family member of 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 Bay County Jail. Incoming and outgoing inmate mail at the Bay 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 Bay 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 Bay 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 for your arrest, you can access arrest warrants on the Bay County jail website or you can call the jail. You have to have the person’s first and last name. Or, you can just go the jail in person and inquire at the information desk. Bear in mind 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 Bay County jail, either by phone, in person, or check online. An arrest is a matter of public record and the information is accessible by the public.

Court Records

Court Records are public, and are accessible by anyone. They include a case file that contains a docket sheet and any of the filings and documents filed in your case. You are able to access court records via the internet service ‘Public Access to Court Electronic Records’, or at Clerk of Court office in the jurisdiction where the case was filed.

Criminal Records

Every state maintains a record of someone’s criminal past. These state databases are linked together so you can track criminal convictions from another state. You are able to go to the Bay County Courthouse and inquire, or you can check online. It helps to know the county, and if the crime was in a totally different state, you might have to pay for a more complete search.

A search of someone’s criminal history you are able to find out if a person has ever been arrested, charged or convicted for crimes, which include, drug Possession of drug trafficking, kidnapping, rape or other sexual assault, violent crimes, or theft, breaking and entering.

Money & Commissary

The procedure to send funds to inmates might change, so review the Bay County Jail site before you send funds to an inmate.

How To Send Money to an Inmate at Bay 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 Bay County Jail uses changes frequently, so it is best to call them at (850) 747-4700 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 Bay County Jail store. Inmates can buy a number of things here, such as toiletries, snacks and writing supplies. Keep in mind that you will probably want 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 products that inmates can buy if they have money in their account. These items include clothes, shoes, small snacks and other food items, as well as 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 Bay County Jail inmates are allowed to make are collect calls or through a pre-paid phone account . Jail phone calls are much more expensive than regular phone calls. There is no limit to when you can make phone calls, how long you can talk, and how often you can make calls, but you should keep in mind that every inmate wants to use the phone too, so they can call their family. If you break the rules and are disciplined, an inmate’s ability to use the phone may be limited or totally denied.

Phone Number: (850) 747-4700

How To Save Money on Inmate Calls

Correctional facility phone service companies have exclusive contracts at every facility that they are the exclusive phone provider for, which means that they they control the prices. The profits off of all of the inmate phone calls 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 Bay County Jail. The prices are posted and there are at least two pricing tiers 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 figuring out 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 calling your inmate. There are some prisons or jails 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 jail or prison has set their phone rates in a way that nobody can save you money.

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

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