Bossier Parish Jail

 

 

The Bossier parish jail is one of the correctional centers in Louisiana that was built in the early 2000s. The prison is referred to as a state-of-the-art correctional facility and was officially opened in June 2004. The prison is 65,000 square feet large and can house 600 inmates.

It won't take you a lot of effort to find this prison because it is just along the road. The medium-security facility is on 2984 Old Plain Dealing Road, Plain Dealing, LA71064. It is adjacent to the maximum-security facility located at 2985 Old Plain Dealing Road, Plain Dealing, LA71064.

The prison was initially designed for minimum to medium-security inmates. However, it is also built to host some maximum-security inmates. The design of the prison has areas of isolation with allowance for eight dormitories of 75 each. The prison was built to house inmates that have been sentenced in the Bossier parish. It is a long-term housing facility; however, programs are being put in place to ensure that the offenders don't repeat the same offense repeatedly.

In this article, we will take a good look at this prison and some of the things you ought to know if you or any loved one has been slated to enter the prison. Some of the things you'll learn about this prison from this article will include the following:

  1. What are some of the basic things to know about the Bossier parish prison?
  2. How is visiting done in this prison
  3. Is it possible to make a phone call to an inmate in Bossier parish prison?
  4. Sending money to an inmate in Bossier parish prison.
  5. Bailing out loved ones from Bossier Parish jail.
  6. Sending mails; are they better than phone calls?
  7. Are there qualified doctors in Bossier parish prison?

Without further ado, let's now take a closer glance at all the above-listed points.

 

bossier parish jail

 

1. What are some of the basic things to know about the Bossier parish prison?

Most of the vital information you should know has already been pointed out in introducing this text. Every other thing you need to know will be listed out in the following parts of the article. However, suppose you want to get more information about this prison. In that case, you can simply visit their official site, where you can also connect with the parish’s sheriff or the jail warden’s office.

The website is www.bossiersheriff.com. Every information you're looking for is right there waiting for you. You can contact the office of the sheriff on 318-965-2203, the human resource department on 318-956-3459, or the Bossier City police on 318-741-8611-911. These numbers are always on standby and ready to speak with you at any time. Now, to focus on the part of this conversation, that should be more important to you if you have an inmate in this correctional center.

 

2. How is visiting done in this prison

Visiting your loved ones in jail may not be a sweet feeling. However, it helps to renew yours and their hope. It is essential to let them see you once in a while so that they can feel loved and cared for. The court in Bossier parish would give you that privilege to visit your inmate. However, it may be revoked later for reasons best known to the judge presiding over the case.

Visiting days are not stated in this prison; however, the hours may differ, and that depends on some factors, including the gender of the inmate, the day of the week, the holiday, or the exact place the inmate is kept.

Every inmate in the Bossier parish prison is given the privilege of visitation at least once or twice every week. This visitation can last from 15 minutes to one hour, depending on the inmate’s case. Sometimes, an inmate who has been given special privileges by the court can get more visitation than usual, just as some inmates may not get any visitation at all.

Before you decide to visit your inmate, ensure that you call the prison on 318-965-2203 to ask about the visiting hours and how to schedule a visit. If you're coming from a distant place and want to see an inmate, call the same number to explain this to them. You'll be given the privilege to spend more time with your inmate.

When visiting your inmate, the Bossier parish jail requires that you fill out a form before you're allowed to see your inmate. This form will contain personal details about you, including whether you have any past criminal convictions or are currently on probation from a felony. Note that you will not be given a visiting chance if the latter is the case.

You must ensure that you're as honest as possible when you're filling the form because the prison would do a background check on you, and if they find out that any information you provided is false, you will not get the visiting chance you're requesting.

There's something called video visitation, and though the primary reason why the parish introduced this visiting style is to reduce the introduction of drugs and other contraband into the prison, it serves other useful services. Some of those purposes include getting to interact with your loved ones without leaving your house, helping to ensure that everyone in the family can see the inmate without needing to pay transport fares to the prison. Parents who don't want their children to ever visit the jail for any reason or see their father or mother in jail can connect the kids with the parent via video visitation.

 

This video connection is not limited to just visitation. There's also what is referred to as video arraignment in the Bossier parish prison, where inmates can appear in court without physically appearing in court. They connect with their lawyer, the judge, and the rest of the court via live video. This will reduce the need or cost of transporting inmates from the prison to court all the time. It's an applaudable innovation and one that we believe other parish jails in Louisiana should emulate.

Before you can visit the Bossier parish prison, you must abide by these rules.

●      You can only visit if you're 18 years and above.

●      Children are not allowed into the premises without their parents or guardians.

●      You will fill out a form at the jail or on their website, starting every correct information about you, and that will include all your past criminal records (if any)

●      You're not allowed to visit any inmate if you're under probation for a felony.

●      You must dress appropriately, and that includes raising your sleeves halfway up your arm, not wearing any see-through clothing and other basic dressing guidelines that you must follow.

The rules are pretty basic and straightforward. That's all there is about visiting the Bossier parish prison.

 

3. Is it possible to make a phone call to an inmate in Bossier parish prison?

It is possible to call your inmate in the Bossier parish prison; however, you must know that it is not a privilege. The court may decide that your inmate doesn't have the privilege to call or visitation for reasons related to the case at hand. Sometimes, the court may give the privilege, but it could be withdrawn as the case proceeds, depending on the findings on the ongoing case.

With that cleared, let's now get into the different ways an inmate can make calls from the prison.

 

A. Collect Calls

Making a call from the prison by calling collect is not very affordable for everyone, and that doesn't depend on the prison from where you're using the service. Calling collect is expensive. The jail officers will help you make the call to prearranged phone numbers of family and friends. Inmates cannot make calls to random numbers except they have first recorded that contact with the jail authority.

 

Before this call can be made, the inmate needs to get a credit approval or an initial deposit. We will get to the part where you'll learn to fund the jail account of the inmate. For now, let's just stick with this knowledge.

 

B. Direct Calls

A much cheaper and easier way to connect with your family and loved ones from the Bossier Parish jail is by using direct calls. They're straightforward, and all you have to do is input and call any number you want to reach. What makes it easier than the collect calls is that the jail already has a contract with a phone service provider, and all you have to do is pay the required fees and make a direct phone call to the landline or personal cell phone of your loved ones.

 

If you want to find out more about how the Bossier parish correctional center organizes their phone calls, you can reach them on 318-965-2203, to speak directly with somebody from the inside. Don't worry; your calls to the office won't be recorded unless you call an inmate.

 

Another quick way for inmates to make phone calls to their loved ones from the Bossier parish prison is by buying call cards from the commissary. The amount will be deducted from their jail account, which you should continuously fund to ensure that they're not stranded.

 

You must bear a few tips in mind when you want to make a phone call to or from prison.

●      Phone calls are recorded for the purpose of an investigation, especially when the inmate is still on trial. You must know that whatever you say or do will be used against you or the inmate in court.

●      There are schedules for phone calls. Calls cannot be made every day and at any length.  There are limits to how long an inmate can stay on the phone in one month. Reaching this limit too early in the month means that your inmate won't be able to hear from you unless you visit.

●      If you have scheduled a calling time with your inmate and their call has not come in, you would have to be patient because several other people want to speak with their loved ones, and the waiting time can be extended.

●      Always find the inmate’s jail account as they may not be able to reach out to you about important matters if they don't have the slated fees for calls.

 

That is all the essential information you need to have about phone calls in the Bossier parish prison. Let's move on to sending money.

 

4. Sending money to an inmate in Bossier parish prison

If this is your first time having a loved one in jail, you probably already think that there's no way to send them money, and probably no use for that since everything is provided. That isn't true. If your inmate is there during their trial, they'd definitely need money to fund some of their needs in jail.

 

Their feeding and clothing are indeed taken care of, but we all know that there are other things that you need money for in jail, and they may include health care. Having enough money in their jail account will do them a lot of good. You also have to know that physical cash is not allowed in prison; it is regarded as contraband. So how do you ensure that your inmate gets the money they need to acquire some items in jail? Below are a few ways.

 

A. Mail the money to the jail

This method takes more time to complete, but it is the best option for those who don't have debit or credit cards to do the online transaction and those who live too far away from the prison. It is always advised that you use a money order from a trusted bank, the post office, or Western Union. Doing this is a lot better than sending the money in cash.

 

B. Deposit the money online

If you don't want to go through the rigors of visiting the prison or doubt about giving the money to jail personnel, this is another option for you. You can decide to pay the money online by visiting the Bossier parish jail website. When you get to the site, you will get directions on how to fund the account, but first, you must create an account with the jail and then register your card (debit or credit).

 

C. Bring the cash to the jail

Recall that I said money isn't allowed in prison. Well, that is only when the inmate is in possession of it. You can actually take money to the jail, but the money would not be handed to your inmate. The jail personnel will process the payment into the account of the inmate. Many people are afraid of this method because they believe that the personnel may not deliver the money.

 

D. Deposit money to the inmate's account over the phone

This technique will work well for you if you find the others difficult. You can simply call an online finance company and give them the details of your inmate, which includes the inmate ID and their full legal name. Once this is done, they'll get the payment in full and purchase the available products in prison.

 

5. Bailing out loved ones from Bossier parish jail

Bail is free, but not when the case at hand is a felony, which has led to a trial. Your inmate will have to stay in jail throughout the trial period. However, the court may allow you to bail your loved ones so that they can attend the court for their trial. This is also a privilege, and the court may decide that the patient doesn't deserve bail. If your inmate has been granted bail, the following things are what you can do:

●      Ask how much the bail money is

●      Ask how you can pay it. The court usually doesn't allow you to use personal checks, so you have to use a money order.

●      Wait for 48 hours for your bail request to be carried out. Sometimes, it could be announced on the day of the first arraignment.

●      Do you need an agent or a lawyer to pay the bail? Sometimes you may not need a lawyer. However, there are occasions where the bail amount is too high for you, and you have to plead with the court to bring it down. You're going to need a lawyer to do that for you.

If you have done all the above, asked the necessary questions, and gotten appropriate answers, you can move on to the next phase, which is paying the stated amount.

 

There are three known ways to pay the required bail amount, and they are:

A. Pay in cash and in full

If you're satisfied with the bail amount and are ready to bail out your loved one, you can simply pay in cash at the court or just go to the jail where the inmate is being held. It is even faster when you go to the prison because if you make the court’s payment, you would still have to wait until it is sent to the prison for approval. If you don't have cash, you can use a money order, but you can't use your check.

 

B. Use a bail agent

It is possible that you don't have the exact amount to foot the full bail money, but you need your inmate to be out of jail as soon as possible. You can simply employ a bail agent’s services with the agreement that he will pay the money for you in full or partially so that you can repay it with a premium, usually around 10 to 15%.

 

C. Settle with landed property

If you don't have cash, you don't have money in the bank, and you're not sure you'll be able to raise the fund to repay an agent, you can simply request to use your land as collateral for the bail. But you have to note that any land that will be used for this purpose must be inside the Bossier parish for it to be a valid payment option.

 

Those are the three simple ways to pay off a bail in the Bossier Parish jail. Note that the option for bail may not be given by the court, depending on the circumstances surrounding the case or the gravity of the crime.

 

6. Sending mail; is it better than phone calls?

People sometimes communicate with their loved ones in jail through mails because they can't afford the high fees of phone calls. However, you must know that mails are very slow. If you want to speak with your loved one in jail about urgent matters, mails are not the best choice for you. Emails are also way faster than regular letters. So, if you're choosing a communication platform, it should depend on your finances and how quickly you want to get a response.

 

7. Are there qualified doctors in Bossier parish prison?

Healthcare is one of the essential things that are provided at the prison, and your loved ones will enjoy these amenities as long as they have the necessary funds for it. Bossier parish jail is filled with adequately trained personnel in the fields of healthcare, security, and clerks. Your inmate will have everything sorted out for them.

 

In the aspect of healthcare, the doctors at the prison are trained medical practitioners who have worked in government hospitals and clinics in the free world that got reassigned to the prison. Treatment is a sure thing for every inmate in the Bossier parish prison.

 

Criminal Defense Attorney in Bossier Parish

 

bossier parish criminal lawyer

 

Carl Barkemeyer, Criminal Defense Attorney understands and acknowledges how tough it is when you're accused of a crime, arrested and detained. It is one of the most difficult and trying times in one's life. Because of this, we have made ourselves available to be reached at any time of the day. We are ever ready to help you fight for, defend and protect your rights as a citizen. Remember that your rights are still intact until you are convicted. Bearing this in mind, our Bossier criminal lawyers do all we can to get a favorable outcome for your case.

 

Tell us your situation and let's help you out. Remember that every crime is too broad to be handled alone and without judicial help. In as much as you think you can do it all by yourself, contact us to get a professional criminal defense attorney in Bossier Parish to help you with all your judicial proceedings.

"Great attorney - very detailed and knowledgeable.
I will recommend him to anyone and if needed I'd consult with him again.!"