Have you or any of your loved ones been slated to enter the Tangipahoa parish jail, and you want to know the state and condition of things there before finally going there? Well, you have made a very wise decision as it is essential that you acquaint yourself with the activities, the dos and Don'ts, and other rules and regulations at the prison you'll be held.
Tangipahoa parish jail is one of the oldest correctional institutions in the state of Louisiana, which was built in 1984. The prison happens to have the capacity of housing up to 504 male prisoners and only 22 female prisoners. This kind of ratio of make cells to female cells is not unique to the Tangipahoa parish prison alone; you'll find out if you look up other correctional institutions, that male cells are usually more, and that's due to the level of influx that has been clearly observed.
In this article, we will look at a lot of things about the prison, and Attorney Carl Barkemeyer, an established attorney in Louisiana, will help with the most precise and correct answer to all the questions we will be asking. Some of the questions we will be asking Carl Barkemeyer will include the following:
1. What are some of the basic things to know about the Tangipahoa parish prison?
2. How is visiting done in this prison
3. Is it possible to make a phone call to an inmate in Tangipahoa parish prison?
4. Sending money to an inmate in Tangipahoa.
5. Bailing out loved ones from Tangipahoa
6. Sending mails; are they better than phone calls?
7. Are there qualified doctors in Tangipahoa parish prison?
Tangipahoa is a correctional facility in the state of Louisiana, located at 101 Campo Ln, Amite City, LA 70422, United States. The facility was built in 1984 to cater to people who have been found guilty and sentenced. However, the majority of inmates in the facility are people who have merely been arrested for a crime and have not gone through trial.
The condition of the prison is superb and, even though it is a prison, inmates are not maltreated, no matter what crime they committed that brought them there. That's why it is called a correctional center and not a punishment facility. Everyone is treated equally and given the same rights—unless deemed contrary by the court.
Furthermore, on the condition of the prison, trustees are assigned to take care of the janitorial services of the prison. This duty includes proper maintenance of the parish courthouse, cleaning the environment at the prison, and handling the laundry.
Security at the prison is firm but not overly manned. Inmates are given enough freedom within the prison, as long as they abide carefully by the rules and regulations of the prison. Some of those rules would be looked at later in this article. The campus (the prison environment) is surrounded by a metal fence that is eight feet tall to prevent outsiders from getting in and also prevents inmates from getting out.
Before anyone is allowed to come into the prison environment through the gates, they're thoroughly searched to ensure that they're not carrying any deadly weapon or contraband. This is normalcy in any prison, and it is done because some people could be visiting for malicious purposes and may intend to cause harm to one of the inmates. Visitors are also not allowed to bring in any personal belonging or handbags. We will consider this aspect even further in the article.
If you have further questions about the prison, you can contact the sheriff officially or call the jail directly on this number 985-748-3387, or visit the official website. Prompt response is given to matters as they concern the prison and the inmates it houses. If you or any member is slated to be admitted to this prison, rest assured you're in good hands until your trial or sentence is over, and yes! You can take my word for it.
The visiting arrangements were changed by the sitting parish sheriff in Tangipahoa, Daniel Edwards, on the third of August, 2017, and took effect from the nineteenth of August, 2017. The new arrangement is as follows:
â— Saturdays: from 9:00am to 4:00pm
â— Sundays: from 9:00am to 4:00pm
If you plan a visit on any other day other than the ones listed above, you may be allowed into the prison, but you'll not be allowed to see any inmate. It is essential to take note of these visiting days and times to help you better prepare yourself.
Although many people opine that there should be more visiting days as they may have other engagements during the week, this is totally beyond the powers of anyone, including the sheriff, it's a matter of law and order, and it is deemed best that there should only be two visiting days in the week. The visiting days are also scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays for a reason. Those are weekend days, and they're set so that you can adequately plan for it.
If you have a family member or a friend in the Tangipahoa prison, you must ensure that you abide by the visiting rules before you go there. We will look at the rules at the prison in more details soon, but for now, these are the visiting rules:
â— You must not come bearing a handbag: no handbag is allowed in the facility. The security operatives will search you but still wouldn't let you take your bags in.
â— Don't come with any personal belongings: as mentioned earlier, everything is provided for the inmates. Their health is adequately taken care of, feeding, and every other thing is taken care of, so there's no need for personal belongings.
â— You must ensure that you come with a valid mode of identification: this can include a government-issued photo identification card or a valid government-issued driver's license. Without any of these, you would be turned back at the gate.
All visitors to the prison are treated as guests, and, as long as they abide by all the operational procedures and policies of the prison, there wouldn't be an issue. Also, note that visitation is only a privilege for the inmate and may be suspended or reverted by the prison authority or the court for security reasons. This decision may also be taken without prior notice to you.
If your loved one or friend has been deprived of visitation and you want to know why, you can contact the sheriff department or the court in charge of the case. Lastly, when you visit the prison, do not carry any form of contraband—the term will be defined appropriately later. Disobedience to this can cost you and the inmate a lot of trouble and another different court case entirely.
As with so many correctional facilities, Tangipahoa allows inmates to receive calls and make some. However, there are guidelines, regulations, and fees to that. If you're well-acquainted with prison rules, you'll know that inmates are not allowed to be in possession of personal phones. As such, a telephone company is commissioned and entrusted with carrying out that service. Now, inmates can use the service, but they would be required to pay a fee.
They can call family and friends using this service. However, if the call is coming from outside, there won't be charges. There are basically two ways your inmate can make a call to you from the Tangipahoa parish prison, and they are:
â— Collect Calls: collect calls are expensive. In fact, they're the most expensive when compared to other forms of communicating with inmates. The jail allows the inmate to call prearranged phone numbers using calling collect. Usually, you'll need a credit approval or a periodic deposit to a third-party telephone company to be able to carry on with the calls. This agreement is entered with the jail as a contract.
â— Direct calls: this one is less expensive and even more straightforward—in terms of the procedure—than the collect call. The prison contracts a third-party phone service company to allow your inmate to make calls directly to your phone. Although a fee is charged for this service, it is still a lot more affordable and cheaper than connect calls.
One rule is common with prisons in general, and it is not peculiar to Tangipahoa. There's a calling limit placed on every inmate. They can't call whenever they want and for however long they choose. It is wise that you and your inmate agree to a fixed duration of calls and also ensures that you talk first about the important things that they might need you to do for them.
Try not to exhaust the calling time for the month, or you may not be able to reach them again until the next month when they're given another calling time and limit. Also, if you and your inmate had agreed to a calling time, it would be best you stay around the phone whether or not they have called. The reason for that is; there is usually a long line of inmates who also want to call their family members, and most of them may exhaust their calling limits at a time. So, stick around your phone for at least 30 more minutes after the agreed calling time if you really want to hear from them.
Finally, do not talk about anything that may implicate you or your inmate during the conversation, especially if they're still facing trial. This is because the calls are recorded and are played back for security purposes.
If your family or loved one has been placed in the Tangipahoa parish jail, your primary concern would be how they manage to get some of the basic things they need. Aside from feeding, security, and clothing (which is basically just the uniforms they wear), the prison doesn't really provide anything else for the inmates. So, how do you ensure that they have money to purchase some of the things they need, including their calling card?
There are basically only a few ways to do that, and they may acquire some fees. However, they are as easy and straightforward as possible. You should know by now that relatives are not allowed to bring money to the inmates in cash. It is highly prohibited, and anyone who is found guilty can be prosecuted. That's more problems for both you and your inmate. So here are some of the ways you can send money to your inmate in Tangipahoa parish prison.
As soon as an inmate is booked into the Tangipahoa parish prison, a trust account is opened for them. This is usually among the first things that will be done. Before you go further to pay anything into this account, you must make sure that your inmate is physically present at the prison. The account is opened for the inmate to allow them to pay for the services they'd need in prison, including calling, medicine, and other jail fees.
Before your payment can be approved by the jail, you must ensure that your name and address are clearly written down. Also, ensure that you ask about the jail number and I.D of the inmate. Failure to do this will require that your money is sent back to you. Also, If your address is not clearly written out, your funds may not get to your inmate.
Sending money to an inmate using MoneyGram takes the same process as when you're sending to anybody in the free world. It is also straightforward and fast, and that's why the majority of people prefer this method. You don't have to visit the prison or fill out all the transfer forms. All you have to do is visit the nearest MoneyGram agent and fill out a form where you'll indicate your inmate's name, their correctional jail ID, your name, the prison code of Tangipahoa, and the amount you wish to send. The money would be deducted from your account, and your inmate's correctional account would be credited.
Before you go with this method, ensure that you have gone to the prison to make proper requests of your inmate's complete information to avoid a complete reversal of the fund. With this fund, they can purchase commissary items without having to pay in cash. The amount of the item would be deducted from their account, which is why you have to always check up on them to know if they have any funds left.
If you're not satisfied with using the methods as mentioned above, you can simply open an online account for your inmate by visiting the Tangipahoa parish jail website. You will be directed on what details to fill in. It is from this account that your inmate can make phone calls to you at set out dates and time. Again, you must visit the jail to make a request for your inmate's information, or you may not be able to fill out the online application.
As mentioned earlier, most of the inmates in the Tangipahoa parish prison are people who have not yet been convicted but are still undergoing trial. It is possible to bail out your loved ones from this prison if the court permits it. The permission from the court will be based on several reasons and the gravity of the crime.
Before you can bail anyone from the prison, you have to be at least 18 years of age, mentally sound, and must meet every other requirement stated by the court. The bail money can go from $100 to $75,000 depending on the crime, but it will be returned to you as soon as the case has been settled from court. The bail money is only for people who are being tried. The amount you pay after an inmate has been convicted is known as the penalty fee. The bail only allows an accused person to attend court meetings from home. Usually, the bail proceedings can take up to 48 hours.
To bail out your loved ones from the Tangipahoa prison, you must ensure that the following questions are answered:
â— Is your inmate eligible for bail? If they're not qualified, they'll have to stay in prison till their trial is concluded.
â— At what time of day can you post bail
â— How do you pay the bail money?
â— Do you need an agent or a lawyer to pay?
â— How much is the bail amount?
All the above questions can be asked freely in court, and you'll get appropriate answers from the judge or the court stewards. Sometimes, the bail fees can be very high, too high, in fact, but you can contact your lawyer to help you bargain with the court for a reduction in the fee.
If you intend to pay the bail using cash, you'll have to pay it right there in court with physical cash, money order, or cashier's check. Note that you cannot make use of a personal check as it is not allowed in the court.
The payment amount can be made at the court, directly to the stewards, but for a faster release of your loved one, you should go directly to the jail where they are being held. This is because the money and all the documents necessary to effect the release would be transferred to the prison after the court hearing has been done. Also, the cashier's checks and the money orders would be sent to the office of the sheriff or to the jail where the defendant is being held.
Many people prefer sending letters and messages to making actual phone calls, and that's usually due to the speed and efficacy of these services. However, can we say that mails are better than phone calls and emails? The simple answer to that is NO. Mails are cheap; you don't have to pay for all the expensive calling fees unless you want to hear the voice of your loved ones desperately.
Phone calls are very fast when you have already prearranged with your inmate on calling times and days; however, they cost so much for the benefits that they offer. Emails, on the other hand, are very reliable, cheaper, and even much faster than phone calls. The only downside to using emails is that you don't get to hear the voice of your loved ones.
Note that your calls, emails, and mails are not encrypted. They're recorded and taken into account, and anything you say can or will be used against you in court. Whenever you decide to call your loved ones from the prison, ensure that you're calling them on the grounds that you want to speak with them and not to discuss sensitive matters that may implicate you or complicate the case for your lawyer.
Part of the basic amenities that are provided in prison includes adequate health care. Although all your medications will come from the account of the inmate, you will get nothing but the best from the doctors at Tangipahoa.
The doctors are qualified and are usually selected from among the doctors in government hospitals. Every health worker at the prison is qualified and experienced in the field.
If your family or loved one has been slated to enter the Tangipahoa parish prison, following all the above guidelines can help you know the exact actions to take in order to either bail out your inmate or give them a comfortable life while in jail. If you need to hire a criminal defense attorney that defends clients in Tangipahoa Parish, contact Carl Barkemeyer, Criminal Defense Attorney.
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