Address:
20 Davidson Drive
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone:
828-250-4550
NOTE: Buncombe County Jail Annex may only allow online deposits for local commissary purchasing.
For best results use google chrome as your browser for accessing Inmate Canteen.
Instructions on purchasing commissary items for an inmate:
Commissary, also known as Canteen, is the ‘store’ within a jail or prison where inmates can purchase items that they want or need to make their stay in jail or prison less of a burden.
Snacks and comfort foods, branded hygiene products they are used to, sneakers and t-shirts, prayer blankets, radios, headphones, television sets, tablets, stationary products and art supplies; depending on the facility, there are thousands of products to choose from.
Some jail and prison systems run their own commissary store, others contract out to companies that serve dozens or hundreds of jails, where inmates and/or their friends and families can purchase products through a website from home, or a kiosk or tablet within their facility.
Food
• Cookies
• Pastries
• Candy
• Tuna and mackerel
• Coffee and Tea
• Soft drinks
• Energy drinks
• Pizza
• Hamburgers
• Chicken fingers
• Spices
Hygiene
• Shampoo
• Soap
• Shaving supplies
• Lotions
• Deodorant
• Oral care
• Toilet paper
• Nail care
Clothing
• Sweats
• Sneakers
• Shorts
• Underwear and bras
• Socks
• Jackets
• Hats
Electronics
• Televisions
• Radios
• Headphones
• Tablets
• Watches
Miscellaneous
• Playing cards
• Games
• Bibles
• Books
• Art supplies
• Stationery supplies
• Vaping products (only some states)
• Greeting cards
Generally, the maximum spend in jail is about $300 per month. Prisons allow a bit more as it is more of a permanent home, whereby jail is temporary. To find out how much an inmate in the Buncombe County Jail Annex can spend each month, call 828-250-4550.
Some jails it's twice a week, others once a week or every other week. A lot of the online stores care pack companies are once a month. To find out the exact schedule for Buncombe County Jail Annex, call 828-250-4550.
Buncombe County Jail Annex has its own methods for receiving money for inmates, and that information can be found above or by calling 828-250-4550 and asking, however all jails and prisons all receive money for an inmate’s trust and commissary account, as well as an account used for communications, pretty much the same way.
1. Mailing an inmate a money order or cashier’s check from a trusted source such as the Post Office, a local bank, or Western Union. The Money order should be be made out to either the inmate or the facility, with the inmate’s name and ID# on the memo line of the check.
When mailing a money order or cashier’s check, send it an envelope by itself. Never send it with a letter or photos for your inmate.
Never send personal checks or cash either.
2. Deposit cash or use a debit or credit card to send an inmate money using an ATM machine that is usually located in the lobby or visitation area of the facility.
3. Some jails have a reception desk or booth that is open during certain hours that they will list on their website. They will accept cash, money orders or cashier checks. Other facilities that don’t have a human manning the desk will have mail drop where you can leave a money order or check. No cash can be left in these boxes.
4. There are multiple companies that jails and prisons contract with which accept inmate deposits online, by mail or over the phone, or even in ATM machines you can find in check cashing stores and retail outlets across the country.
If one of these companies (listed in the next question) works with Buncombe County Jail Annex, this information will be outlined above.
There are many companies competing for the accounts of jail and prison inmates. Their intention is to alleviate the staffing and financial responsibility of handling inmate’s accounts. They usually charge a fee equal to 3-5% of the total deposit.
The companies, in alphabetical order, are:
Access Corrections
AllPaid (aka GovPayNet)
Care A Cell
Cash Bond Online
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
CommissaryDeposit.com
Correct Solutions Group
Correctpay
Ctel
Edevo
Express Account
gettingout
GTL
Inmate Canteen
InmateSales
JailATM
Jail Pack Store (McDaniel Supply)
Jailpayments.com
Jpay
NCIC
JailCanteen (Oasis)
Paytel
Pigeonly
Prodigy Sales
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Tennessee Business Enterprise
Tiger
Touchpay
To send an inmate money by mail you first have to have the money converted to a money order, preferably from the US Post Office, or a Cashier’s Check. Never send cash, and never send a personal check.
To find the address for sending money to an inmate, call the jail at 828-250-4550.
Almost every facility contracts with a company that helps friends and families of inmates send them money. The list can be found above.
To find out who Buncombe County Jail Annex contracts with for inmate deposits, call them at 828-250-4550.
Items on commissary are no more expensive than they would be at a local Walmart store.
A commissary deposit is the money that a person on the outside deposits in an inmate’s trust account, so they can have money to spend on commissary and communication services.
The limit that an inmate can have in their commissary account is usually about $300.00. To find out what the limit is for Buncombe County Jail Annex, call 828-250-4550.
Many jails contract with companies that send food, hygiene products and/or clothing to inmates. These can be purchased and sent by friends and family on a weekly or monthly basis.
You can only send items from the one that your jail has a contract with.
An inmate carepack is a pack of snacks and/or hygiene products that friends or family members of an inmate can purchase online and have shipped to an inmate. The carepack company needs to have a contract with the facility before it can be shipped to the inmate.
Check this page, the Money Page or the Commissary Page for further information, or call the jail at 828-250-4550 to see which one that the Buncombe County Jail Annex works with.
Here are the commissary package companies, in alphabetical order, that provide this service to jails in the United States:
Access Securepak
Care A Cell
Commissary order
Correct Pay
Express Account
icare
Inmate Canteen
Jail ATM
Jail Pack Store (McDaniel Supply)
My Care Pack
Oasis (jailcanteen)
Prodigy Solutions
Tiger
Union Supply Direct
Not really. Other than the basic supplies mentioned above there are no gifts other than greeting cards that they can fill out and mail to a friend, family or loved one.
The tablets can be rented on a monthly basis and while not directly connected to the internet, the inmates can use them for phone, visits, messages, education, self-help and entertainment.
Questions:
To learn more about Homewav tablets, the dozens of features, cost and how to get one delivered to your inmate, check out our Inmate Tablet page.
How can you rent a tablet for an inmate in Buncombe County? Read the following:
Tablets can be used by inmates, for the following things:
Contact Paytel online, or call the Buncombe County Jail Annex directly at 828-250-4550 to rent a tablet for your inmate.
To find out everything you need to know about renting a tablet, what it can be used for, how much it costs, and more, check out our Tablet Page for Buncombe County Jail Annex.
To send a secure email message to an inmate in Buncombe County Jail Annex follow these steps:
How inteleMESSAGE Works
For all information on rates, and how to Text/Email an Inmate in Buncombe County Jail Annex check out our Secure Messaging Guide for Buncombe County.
To receive phone calls from inmates in Buncombe County, or to assist them in making phone calls to other people, follow these steps:
For all the information regarding phone calls with Buncombe County inmates; rules, policies, phone calling times, costs, limits, tablet rental and more visit our Inmate Phone Page.
TextBehind enables you to communicate with your incarcerated loved ones located inside the United States from anywhere in the world using text letters, kids' drawings, and custom greeting cards. Unlimited inmate reply letters are processed for electronic delivery to your smartphone and email at no extra charge.
The cost to send an electronic letter is approximately $1.00.
Here’s how it works for Buncombe County Jail Annex:
1. All offender mail (paper and electronic) is addressed and delivered to TextBehind. Electronic mail is sent through the apps (iphone, Google Play). Paper mail is sent to the address below:
Inmate Name and Inmate Number
Buncombe County Jail Annex North Carolina (note: please do not abbreviate the name)
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131
2. If it was sent via TextBehind's app (iphone, Google Play), TextBehind can process it within one business day.
3. An additional step is involved in processing mail that is sent using the U.S. Postal Service. TextBehind will use a scanner to make digital files of the contents of the mailing—including cards, photos or artwork.
4. All digital files are then forwarded to the offender’s assigned prison.
5. Buncombe County Jail Annex mailroom prints approved pages and delivers them to the inmate.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Here’s what happens when TextBehind receives a letter from an inmate:
YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS...
IMPORTANT TextBehind LINKS:
Register / Log in with TextBehind
Contact TextBehind with Questions
Add an Inmate to your list of Contacts
** Address to Mail letters using TextBehind **
Inmate Name and Inmate Number
Buncombe County Jail Annex North Carolina (note: please do not abbreviate the name)
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131
Why is TextBehind used by Lockups?
Due to the problem of letters and postcards containing, or soaked in contraband (drugs), TextBehind electronic and physical letters is replacing the former policy of allowing mail to be sent directly from inmate’s friends and family members, and vice versa.
Postcards
The Buncombe County Jail Annex allows inmates to receive pre-metered postcards like the type purchased from the post office. They may also allow certain photo postcards as long as they have not been tampered with or contain images that may be considered to be obscene or violent in nature.
Envelopes
The Buncombe County Jail Annex also allows envelopes to be mailed to inmates.
Postcards and envelopes MUST be mailed to the following address:
Inmate's Full Name & ID Number
Buncombe County Detention Facility -NC
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131
Legal Mail
Send all legal Mail to this Address:
Inmate's Full Name & ID Number
Buncombe County Detention Facility
20 Davidson Drive
Asheville, NC 28801
Newspapers
Local or national newspapers may also be mailed to the inmate as long as they are mailed directly from the newspaper publisher.
Magazines
News, special interest or sports magazines may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher. Any magazines that contain profanity, weapons, pornography or other content that is adult in nature will be confiscated by the jail staff and will NOT be delivered to the inmate.
Books
The Buncombe County Jail Annex allows books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address below.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Buncombe County Jail Annex standards will be disposed of. No more than three books may be shipped at any one time.
Hard cover books will not be accepted by the jail due to their potential to be used as a weapon.
All newspapers, magazines and books are to be shipped to:
Inmate's Full Name & ID Number
Buncombe County Detention Facility
20 Davidson Drive
Asheville, NC 28801
For all information, tips and to see the hundreds of available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Buncombe County Jail Annex, or to see how deposit money so that your inmate can purchase their own commissary, check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Buncombe County.
Because Buncombe County and North Carolina can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Buncombe County Jail Annex at 828-250-4550, or the court in the jurisdiction (i.e. Municipal Court, District Court, etc.) where the offender was charged, and do this right after an arrestee has been booked.
Ask the staff at the Buncombe County Jail Annex or the Buncombe County Court Clerk these specific questions:
If you feel the bail is too high and you wish to get it reduced, contact a lawyer or the defendant's public defender and get them to look into what they can do to get a bail reduction. The sooner you get working on this the quicker you will get your loved one released.
This entire process will go smoother and faster with a criminal attorney or bail agent handling it for you.
To set up a phone account so that your inmate can call you from Buncombe County do the following:
1. Enroll in an account with Securus Technologies.
2. Choose one of three account types, Securus Debit, Advance Connect or Direct Bill.
3. Choose [facility_name_1}, then connect with your inmate.
4. If you have any questions, call Securus: 972-734-1111 or 800-844-6591.
To find out fees, how to's, calling times, limits on phone calls and other systems Securus has do that you can communicate with your Buncombe County inmate, check out our Inmate Phone Page.
NOTE: All of your inmate's phone calls are recorded and stored. It is advised not to discuss their pending case.
To receive phone calls from inmates in Buncombe County, or to assist them in making phone calls to other people, follow these steps:
For all the information regarding phone calls with Buncombe County inmates; rules, policies, phone calling times, video, messaging, time limits and more, visit our Inmate Phone Page.
To visit or email an inmate in Buncombe County follow these steps:
Who do you contact if you are having any problems arranging the remote video visit, phoning or emailing of an inmate in Buncombe County?
Call HomeWav support at 314-764-2872, or toll free 844-394-6639.
Monday – Friday
9:00AM to 6:00PM EST
Saturday – Sunday
8:00AM to 6:00PM EST
NOTE: All communications between you and your inmate at Buncombe County Jail Annex will be recorded and stored. Do not discuss your inmate's case or other sensitive information as it can be used against them (or you) in court.
For full instructions on all the benefits of using Homewav to visit a Buncombe County inmate, visiting an inmate at the jail itself, email and texting an inmate, rates, policies, rules, dress codes, bringing children, attorney and clergy visits and more, go to our official Visit Inmate Page.