Ask the Northern Branch Jail whether a newly booked inmate gets a free phone call. After that, an inmate can call you through a GettingOut account that you set up and fund.
The inmate can call you using credits or money that you or someone else purchases from gettingout. Call 866-516-0115 to get information on how to set this up by phone.
Further information, including cost, daily phone call limits and times of the day and evening when calls can be made, including a complete list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers, is below.
Address:
2301 Black Road
Santa Maria, CA 93455
Phone:
805-554-3100
'gettingout' has an extensive website which explains all communication services.
- Phone Calls
- Video Visits (from home or jail lobby)
- Videograms
- Emailing & Photo Sharing
- Voicemail Messages
- Tablet Rental
- Bail
Phone & Voicemail Fees
Call rates, deposit fees and voicemail prices depend on the jail's contract. Check them on GettingOut or with GettingOut at 866-516-0115 before you add money.
Note: Rates are subject to change.
Prepaid calls (Direct Calls)
With Prepaid Calls you add money to a GettingOut account so the inmate can call your number. Ask GettingOut which other account types are offered at this jail.
Customer Service
If you have any questions, you can call them at 866-516-0115.
Getting Out Contact Information
PRE-PAYING
Using gettingout you have the option of either:
- pre-paying directly into your inmate's account, or
- pre-paying, where you control all phone costs.
Prepaid Option #1
If you deposit money online in the INMATE ACCOUNT, than they have the freedom to spend the money on phone calls to anyone, or any other communications services available at Northern Branch Jail.
Prepaid Option #2
With the FRIENDS & FAMILY ACCOUNT, you control all communication services such as phone calls, video visits and messaging. Your inmate can only call the phone number you want.
Can I call an inmate in the Northern Branch Jail?
Can I leave a message for an inmate in the Northern Branch Jail?
Can an inmate in the Northern Branch Jail call me?
Can an inmate in the Northern Branch Jail call their friends?
How much does it cost for an inmate in the Northern Branch Jail to call me?
What times are inmates in the Northern Branch Jail allowed to make phone calls?
How often can inmates in the Northern Branch Jail make phone calls?
What is the inmate telephone service for the Northern Branch Jail?
What are the phone companies that facilitate phone calls with jails and prisons?
Can an inmate text me from the phones in the Northern Branch Jail?
What is the most that an inmate in the Northern Branch Jail can spend on phone calls?
Do I need a credit card to purchase phone credits for an inmate in the Northern Branch Jail?
What is the difference between a phone call and a video call?
Can inmates in the Northern Branch Jail use their cell phone?
Is it illegal for an inmate to use a cell phone in the Northern Branch Jail?
No, you cannot call an inmate in the Northern Branch Jail. You can however call 805-554-3100 or search online, to see if your inmate is in custody.
When an offender is first arrested and is being booked into jail, they are allowed one or two free phone calls to notify friends or family of their situation.
The information for GETTING OUT is located at the top of this page. If that information is missing, it is because the facility recently changed companies. However, you can get updated details by calling 805-554-3100.
It is rare that a jail (or prison) will accept messages for an inmate. Of all the thousands of jails in the United States there are probably less than one hundred that have a message line. Jails in the state of Minnesota are the one exception.
There are two other exceptions to this rule:
1. The Northern Branch Jail will accept a message if there is a family emergency such as a death in the family. In a case like this the message will be conveyed by a jail chaplain or someone that is very high ranking in leadership. Inmates are already under a lot of stress and emotion, and the staff realizes this. It is for this reason they will be very careful how they pass the message along and being watchful afterwards.
2. Rates and limits vary by jail; call the jail or the provider. It is done in the form of a voicemail from you. To see if the Northern Branch Jail offers that service call GETTING OUT, with additional information found at the top of this page or call the jail at 805-554-3100.
Yes, an inmate in the Northern Branch Jail can call you:
3. The inmate can call you using credits or money that you or someone else purchase from the jail's inmate phone service. This information can be found at the top of this page.
If you can’t find this jail’s phone service - outlined above - it means that they may have recently changed it. Call the jail at 805-554-3100 to get the information you need.
Also, it is becoming standard that when an inmate is booked in jail, they must make a list of a limited number of people that they will allow to visit them and/or make phone calls to. If the Northern Branch Jail requires this, then you will have to be on their list to receive phone calls from your inmate.
Yes. If a person is on the inmate’s approved phone contact list and the inmate has funds on their prepaid card or GETTING OUT phone service, there are no restrictions based on whether the person and inmate are related or not.
The only exception to that is if you, as the person who funds their GETTING OUT inmate phone account, puts restrictions on the account, so that the account can only be used to communicate with you and not other people. This allows you and not the Northern Branch Jail to control who the inmate can speak with.
What a call costs depends on the jail’s phone provider, GETTING OUT, and on the type of account you use. Check with GETTING OUT for current rates.
In general, most of these companies are honest and trustworthy. The complete list can be found by scrolling down this page further.
There are independent companies that you can find and purchase phone time from that advertise low per-minute fees. They usually accomplish this by selling you blocks of time that you may never use, or they have exorbitant fees in other areas. Be a smart consumer and study these offers carefully.
In general, inmates in the Northern Branch Jail can make phone calls between the time when breakfast ends until ‘lights out’ at the end of the evening.
They will not allow phone calls to be made during meals, head counts, lockdowns or during shift changes.
Inmates who are workers (trustees), are on work release or have other responsibilities are also limited to when they can make phone calls, as their schedules take priority over personal time.
Ask the Northern Branch Jail during which hours inmates can make phone calls.
Ask the Northern Branch Jail whether it limits how often an inmate can make phone calls. Calls are also limited by how much money you are willing to give them to add GETTING OUT phone time.
When and if there are limits, the limits never apply to phone time with their lawyer or legal matters related to their criminal court case.
Rates and limits vary by jail; call the jail or the provider.
Information about the GETTING OUT inmate telephone service for this facility can be found at the top of this page. If the information is missing that means that the facility recently changed carriers and has not updated the information. In that case, call the jail at 805-554-3100 to get the answers to your questions.
Each of these phone companies provide similar services, and it is a very competitive industry due to the size of the market in which their customers are literally ‘captive’ in every sense of the word.
Amtel Phones
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
Correct Solutions Group
Correct Pay
Ctel
Gettingout
GTL
Homewav
ICSolutions
Inmate Canteen
Inmate Sales
NCIC
Paytel
Prodigy Solutions
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Tiger
No. Inmates in the Northern Branch Jail cannot text from the phones, but more and more jails, including this one, are bringing in a Access Corrections text service for inmates that can work from kiosks and tablets in their units. For more information, check out the email and text page.
Ask the Northern Branch Jail whether it limits how often an inmate can make phone calls. Calls are also limited by how much money you are willing to give them to add GETTING OUT phone time.
Rates and limits vary by jail; call the jail or the provider.
Of the dozens of phone companies listed above that do business with the jails and prisons, there are only a few that have a way for you to use cash to purchase phone credits or phone time from them, usually in an ATM machine at check cashing outlets, and only a couple that have a way for you to fund an inmate phone account by mailing them a money order or cashier check.
If you don’t have a credit or debit card from a bank, you can always get a prepaid one at thousands of check cashing locations across the country.
The commissary may fund the inmate’s trust account with postal money orders, negating the need for having a credit or debit card altogether.
Call 805-554-3100 to see if the Northern Branch Jail’s commissary has prepaid phone cards or check out the commissary page.
A video call is no different than a video visit. It allows both the inmate and their approved contacts to see each other during the conversation. This is becoming the preferred method for inmates and their friends and family members to communicate, as it costs pretty much the same, as visual contact communicates on a different level than just the voice.
Jails and prisons that have the option of video calls and video visits also most likely have handheld tablets for inmate use. This gives the inmate the ability to communicate from their cell or a remote corner of the unit, which adds a level of privacy that a kiosk on the wall does not offer.
To see if Northern Branch Jail offers video calls, go to the Visitation page for information. If you can’t find it there, it may be because this facility recently changed companies, so you can call the jail at 805-554-3100 for details on how to arrange video calls.
No, they cannot use their cell phone.
Inmates have their cell phones taken from them when they are initially booked into jail and will not get them back until they are released, provided the phone is/was not kept by the arresting agency as evidence in a criminal investigation.
Cell phones are considered contraband and a security risk to a jail or prison. All communication: Written, spoken or video, other than an inmate’s communication with their lawyer, are monitored by the facility.
If an inmate is caught with a cell phone that has somehow been smuggled into a jail, the inmate will be charged with a crime. It is considered more serious than being caught with drugs, as a cell phone can be used to intimidate potential witnesses, arrange an escape or run a criminal enterprise outside of the jail’s walls.
It is unlikely that you can get charged with a crime for communicating with an inmate using a cell phone while incarcerated in the Northern Branch Jail.
That said, if it is found that you knowingly were doing it, you could have your visitation or GETTING OUT phone privileges suspended, or even permanently terminated by the jail.
If you were involved in the smuggling of the phone, that is a criminal offense. It may also be a crime if you were adding ‘minutes’ onto a prepaid phone that you knew was smuggled into the jail and was being used for illegal purposes.
They are the same company that facilitate Secure Deposits and Securepaks, so if you are already registered with them, then you are already approved to send Secure Messages to your inmate.
After Registering/Logging In:
1. You choose Northern Branch Jail.
2. You Search for your inmate by typing in his last name. You can further narrow your search by adding his first name and/or Inmate ID.
3. You add a credit or debit card.
4. You buy a message plan (plans and prices vary), or buy credits. One credit costs $0.01.
5. You select the option for your inmate to be able use the credits which you purchase, to message back to you... Or not.
6. Northern Branch Jail charges a fee for each message sent or received.
Important Things to Know
- Access Corrections has an iphone app and an android app for using their services.
- ALL of your correspondence will be monitored by the jail.
- Do NOT write anything you wouldn’t want repeated in court.
- Rates vary and are always subject to change.
- Inmates can write you back ONLY if you select that option.
- You CAN send photos up to 32MB in file size. Subject to change.
- You CAN have unlimited credits on your account but are limited in the amount of each credit purchase.
- You may NOT type or send emoticons.
- You may NOT copy and paste text. Type directly.
- You may NOT type profanities, violence or characters not approved.
- Due to messages having to be reviewed first, allow up to five days for a message to be delivered.
- You may NOT transfer credits to another email.
Phone: 866-345-1884
Email: customerservice@accesscorrections.com
FAQ
Contact Page
iphone app
Android app
If you were unable to find the information you were looking for on this page, call GTL Connect Network at 877-650-4249 and ask their policies on getting phone calls from your inmate at Northern Branch Jail.
You can contact GTL online by using this online form to ask a question.