St. Tammany Parish Jail: Guidelines You Need to Follow
Is your friend or family member detained pending trial in St. Tammany? All things considered, there is just one place where persons awaiting trial or sentencing are held in St. Tammany; The St. Tammany Parish jail.
St. Tammany Parish’s Jail is a parish detention center situated at #1200 Champagne Street PO Box 908, Covington, LA, 70433. The prison typically houses convicted misdemeanor and felony offenders. But there are a handful of inmates in the facility who are there pending their trail or transfer to a more regimented correctional facility. This parish jail has a capacity of 330 inmates and its hallways are constantly monitored with surveillance cameras. Because it is a county jail, its operations are somewhat different from the state and federal prisons. As a result, you may have a hard time locating an inmate in its yard. But if you use the right channels and ask the right questions, you’ll locate your inmate in no time.
While we recommend that you connect with the right criminal defense attorney when you or someone you love is blamed for a crime in St. Tammany, you may also want to formalize yourself with how the Parish’s detention center works. Here are some of the frequently asked questions that we experience every day at the Barkemeyer Law Firm. By formalizing yourself with the information provided below, you can make your inmate’s stay at St. Tammany Parish Detention Center comfortable.
How to locate an inmate?
One of the most heartbreaking things about long-term lock-up are the segregation of inmates from the general populace, particularly their friends and family. Sometimes, you may have to conduct a series of searches to locate your inmate in the detention center where s/he is being held. Though straight forward, the inmate location process can become a bit of a daunting task if you don’t know the right places to look. That’s why it is important to have an aggressive criminal defense attorney working on your loved one’s case from the very beginning.
Before you can visit or talk with someone who is locked up at St. Tammany Parish Prison, you must, first of all, ascertain that such an inmate is housed in the facility. With the right information and the right locator, you can clear your doubts about your inmate’s whereabouts in a matter of minutes.
Whereas there are many ways to locate an inmate in the St. Tammany Prison facility, the simplest is through this locator. As there are many similarly-named inmates in the state records, you’ll need to know certain things about your inmate to effectively navigate through the inmate finder. Here are some of the information you’ll need to find an inmate in St. Tammany Parish Prison, and in most parish prisons across the state:
-The Inmate’s name (First and last name)
-Birthdate
-Inmate ID number
The St. Tammany Parish Jail goes extra miles to ensure all information about persons in custody is accurate. So, you won’t have a hard time locating your inmate with the right information. The facility has an extensive database of all inmates housed in its yard, so searching through the records can be overwhelming at first. However, if you are patient, you’ll find your inmate in a matter of minutes.
On the other hand, if your search through the facility’s online database does not yield profit and you are convinced that the inmate that you are searching for is housed at St. Tammany. You can try the traditional method of calling the prison’s reception desk. Of course, you’ll need to provide the details mentioned above to the jail official, for an effective search through the prison’s records. You can reach the St. Tammany Jail through its direct contact number, 985-276-1001. You should know, however, that you’ll incur toll charges when you call the prison facility through a cellular network.
Another thing to have at the back of your mind when searching for an inmate in St. Tammany Jail, is the prison’s obligation to withhold information about minors held in its custody. The prison may also withhold relevant information about persons put in protective custody in the facility. If your inmate falls in any of the aforementioned categories, you may need to hire an attorney to help you locate your inmate. Nevertheless, the facility may deny all access to inmates under protective custody if such an inmate’s safety is being threatened.
Can I visit an Inmate?
All inmates are permitted to host visitors in the St. Tammany Parish Prison. Nevertheless, inmates who have refused to comport themselves nicely or considered a threat to prison officials and other inmates may be denied visitation. What’s more, all visitations are monitored and timed.
Before you can be allowed to visit an inmate in the facility, you’ll be searched for contrabands and dangerous metals. You are not permitted to touch an inmate or be touched by one during visitations, except with the supervision of prison officials. Besides, you must visit the facility at the hours stipulated for visitation. The visitation hours for St. Tammany Parish Prison goes as thus;
Monday 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM
Tuesday 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM
Wednesday 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM
Thursday 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM
Friday 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM
Saturday 7:30 Am to 2:30 PM
Sunday7:30 Am to 2:30 PM
Whereas most people think of inmate visitation as an entitlement, that is not always the case. Visitations are a privilege; not a right. The prison can allow or forbid you from seeing an inmate at any point. For instance, if you are caught violating the facility’s rules, visitation would be suspended or denied.
Here are a few rules to have at the back of your mind when visiting an inmate at St. Tammany Parish Prison:
-Inmates are allowed only twenty minutes’ visit per day
-Inmates can entertain only two adults and two children visitors at the same time
-Inmate’s attorneys can visit the facility at any time.
-Visitors who are 17 years or older, must visit the facility with a valid ID card.
-Visitors must adhere to the facility’s dress code during visitations. No sleeveless, see-through, Ripped, torn, or spandex clothing is allowed. If you are visiting in a dress or shorts, make sure your attire is at least 3 inches above your knees.
-No mobile phones in the visitation area
Failure to adhere to the aforementioned instructions would mean the denial of your visitation rights.
How to call and receive calls from an inmate?
St. Tammany Jail permits cellular communication between inmates and loved ones outside. But that does not mean that you can pick up your phone at the time of your choosing and reach out to an inmate. It doesn’t work like that. Persons in custody can use the prison phone to make a collect call to their loved ones outside, but they are not permitted to own phones in the facility. Nevertheless, you can reach an inmate through the facility’s phone to discuss an emergency. Of course, you’ll have to convince the prison’s personnel that your emergency is genuine before you’ll be redirected to your inmate.
An inmate can make calls to the outside world through the detention center’s preferred phone company. Typically, St. Tammany Parish jail uses Securus Technologies for its telephone services. As such, calls made from the facility to family and friends outside will pass through Securus.
In the past, the facility allows persons in custody to purchase phone cards from the Commissary. But that time has long passed. Although some inmates still visit the commissary to buy time increments, others rely on their family and friends outside to fund their trust account.
The facility’s phone company provides three different call plans for people who want to communicate with inmates through a cellular network.
Advance Connect: This phone plan is quite similar to your prepaid phone plans. By subscribing to this plan, you can control the cost of phone time with your inmate. It is particularly helpful for people who are looking to save money on phone time.
Direct Bill: This plan works just like conventional phone services. You can talk for as long as you like without worrying about your budget. Then at the end of the month, you’ll get a bill for the time used.
Whereas this plan is not the most economical choice for communicating with inmates over cellular networks, it provides a lot of leeway when discussing important matters with attorneys, bails bondsmen, and family members.
Inmate Debit: This is the only plan among the three phone plans offered by Securus that does not require an account set up in your name. With this plan, the toll expenses will be deducted directly from the inmate’s account. You can still fund the account if you like, but it will be tied to the inmate’s name.
How do I mail an inmate?
You can send mails to persons in custody of St. Tammany Parish jail from almost anywhere in the city. If there’s one thing inmates can receive from their family and friends without violating the prison’s laws, it’s letters. Nevertheless, detainees can receive magazines, newspapers, and educational materials straight from the office of the publisher. If they come from a personal address, the books will be returned to the sender. Besides, hardback books are considered illegal in St. Tammany parish prison. As a result, only paperback books are permitted to be sent as mail to an inmate by a publisher.
The facility also has strict guidelines on the type and content of letters that should be mailed to inmates in custody. So, keep that in mind when sending a mail to persons detained at St. Tammany Parish Prison.
St. Tammany Parish Prison will return mail containing the following to the sender:
-Stamps
-Song Lyrics
-Stains
-Words/items that advocate racial supremacy
-Money orders
-Words/items that promote violence
-Pictures larger than 5×7
-Internet Print-outs
-Postcards
-Nudity Photos
-Money
-Greeting cards
-Newspapers (including clippings of important sections)
-Magazines
-Books
-Cash
-Shading or coloring materials
-Puzzle Books
-Tattoo Pictures
Personal letters to persons in custody of St. Tammany Parish jail must include the following;
· Inmate’s housing facility
· Inmate’s cell block number
· Inmate’s full name
· Inmate’s SPN
· Sender’s full name
· Sender’s full address
How to send money to an inmate?
Inmates need money to enjoy certain privileges in the prison’s commissary. A Commissary is analogous to your regular grocery store. It is open to inmates at specific times during the week. The store provides non-threatening care items, such as soaps, lotions, and toothpaste. It also provides educational materials like books, magazines, newspapers, and a bunch of other helpful materials. To access these privileges, an inmate must have a funded trust account. This commissary account can be funded by friends and family outside, or with paychecks earned by an inmate from minor prison jobs.
For people looking to send money to their loved ones in St. Tammany Parish Prison, the process is pretty straight forward. The Facility has worked hard in this area to provide three different channels for sending money to inmates held in its yard. You can use any of the three funding channels provided by the facility to instantly put money into your inmate’s trust account. But keep in mind that each transaction you make through these funding channels will expose you to processing tax or fees.
Kiosk Method
St. Tammany parish prison’s lobby is lined with kiosks resembling ATM stands. But you shouldn’t mistake these machines for your conventional ATMs; they don’t give out money. Instead, they accept cash deposits to help fund inmates’ accounts. You can visit any of these kiosks to fund your inmate’s commissary account. The Machine allows you to fund inmates’ account with your debit/credit card, that is visa or MasterCard. For cash deposits, the machine only accepts $5 bills or higher and you can deposit up to $300 at a go. The kiosk services are available 24/7, but transactions of $300 and above will accompany a $4 service charge.
Phone Method
If you can’t muster the strength to visit the prison’s lobby and deposit funds into your inmate’s commissary account, you can try the phone method. The funding process is just as straight forward as the kiosk alternative. All you have to do is to make a toll-free call to 985-276-1001 and make a deposit using your debit or credit card. Only Visa and MasterCard credit or debit cards are allowed for a telephone deposit. So, keep that in mind when calling the afore-mentioned number.
Online Method
Many correctional institutes in Louisiana are using the internet and electronic media for their operations nowadays. This advancement in technology makes it possible for friends and family of inmates to fund their commissary account, even from the comfort of their homes. To use this funding method to credit an inmate’s commissary account, you’ll have to visit Access Corrections online. Note that you’ll have to set up an online account to use this channel for your transactions. Also, each transaction you make using the online platform will accompany service fees, as depicted below:
-Transactions below $19.99 will accompany a $2.95 service fee
-Transactions ranging from $20.00 to $99.99 will accompany a $5.95 service fee
-Transactions ranging from $100.00 to $199.99 will accompany a $7.95 service fee
-Transaction ranging from $200.00 to $300.00 will accompany a $9.95 service fee
How to bail out inmates at St. Tammany Parish Jail?
Until a verdict is passed on an inmate in custody of St. Tammany Parish Jail, the inmate is subject to bail. This implies that you can post bail for an inmate, at any time before and during the trial. so he or she can stand trial as a free man or woman. Needless to say, that you’ll need an aggressive lawyer to help you secure the most favorable outcome when considering bail for persons in custody at St. Tammany Parish jail.
The bail money can come from personal funds or bail bondsmen. However, using Bail bonds to post bail in prison facilities across Louisiana may expose you to exorbitant service charges of up to $50. You can also expect the procedure for securing bail for inmates to differ slightly depending on the court presiding over the inmate’s case.
You can post bail with cash, cashier’s check or bail bonds. But you are not allowed to post bail with personal checks. The cashier’s check must be addressed to the court presiding over the inmate’s case, with the inmate’s details affixed to the address.
Does St. Tammany Parish jail have doctors?
St. Tammany Parish Jail is a county prison, and as such, it is not as heavily fortified as state or federal prisons. Nevertheless, the jail features a more regimented daily routine compared to minimum security prisons. The jail provides identical outfits for inmates to tell them apart from visitors and personnel. Also, it provides humane confinement conditions for inmates. The facility ensures that each inmate has a blanket and bed to themselves, and a public shower to wash. The prison’s lobby, hallways, and common areas are supervised by guards through surveillance cameras, 24 hours a day. Also, the prison has dedicated cell rooms for inmates who fail to comport themselves wisely amongst other inmates. These tiny isolation cells are monitored by jail officials several times a day.
The prison also provides special wards for sick inmates to recoup until they are fit enough to join the prison’s populace. So, to answer your question of whether St. Tammany Parish Jail has doctors? Yes, it does.
St. Tammany Parish prison, like other county prisons in Louisiana, is legally obligated to provide comfortable confinement conditions for inmates to meet inmates, mental and health care needs. For the entirety of an inmate’s stay at the detention center, the prison will provide his/her medical and prescription needs.
Inmates that are considered a threat to the prison’s populace will be isolated. This also applies to inmates who are constantly harassed by other inmates in the prison. For safety reasons, gang members may also be segregated at St. Tammany Parish Prison.
If you have a loved one in St. Tammany Parish prison who is being targeted, harassed, or threatened, call the facility’s direct contact number to file a report.
Can I send books or magazines to inmates?
St. Tammany Parish Jail does not accept personal mails containing newspapers, books, or magazines. However, if the item is mailed to the prison directly from the publisher’s office, it would be delivered to the inmate. All you have to do is to provide your inmate’s details (full name, ID number, etc.), and the publisher will send a magazine to your inmate for the subsequent months. Depending on the publisher and the method used to set up the magazine subscription, your inmate may get his/her first magazine within 2 to 12 weeks. But regardless of how a book is mailed to an inmate in St. Tammany Parish prison, it would be scrutinized upon delivery. So, make sure the book or magazine that you are sending does not violate any of the prison’s rules.
Who to call for when detained at St. Tammany Parish prison?
If you or anyone you know is detained at St. Tammany Parish Prison pending trial or sentencing, call Barkemeyer Law Firm. Our team of experienced and aggressive criminal defense attorneys that can help you make sense of your case. Our criminal attorney has acquired a wealth of experience in St. Tammany bail procedure, and as such, he can help you secure a favorable outcome in your case. We’ll be there during your hearings, whispering the words of wisdom into your ears and guiding you on the best step to take to litigate a favorable outcome for your case.
Barkemeyer Law Firm understands how difficult it is for families to be separated from their inmates, that’s why we make it our priority to litigate favorable outcomes for our clients during trial. Call us today, to enjoy the full support of the team of well-versed lawyers at Barkemeyer Law Firm.
