Santa Barbara County Main Jail Inmate Tablet Rental

Santa Barbara County Main Jail

Address:
4436 Calle Real
Santa Barbara, CA 93110

Phone:

805-681-4260

Does Santa Barbara County Main Jail have tablets for the inmates to use?

You can find information about the Santa Barbara County Main Jail’s tablet program at the top of this page. If there is no information about it, it is because they either have recently changed companies or are not yet providing this service for inmates. Call 805-681-4260 to confirm.

What can the inmates use the tablets for?

Inmates in jails and prisons are using tablets for all the communication services available such as video visitation, video phone calls, regular phone calls, and electronic messaging – which is like texting and email.

Tablets are also used for entertainment, such as watching movies, television shows, listening to music and reading e-books. It is also used for education, self-help information, and legal research.

Are the jail’s tablets connected to the internet?

No, they are not connected to the internet. All the messages, visits and programming goes through a system controlled by the company that provides the tablets, and through the jail. They control what each inmate sees. All messages are carefully screened and not delivered if the sender or the inmate violates jail policy.

How much do the tablets cost to use?

For accessing visits and messages, the tablets are free to us. Each unit has many of them, all provided by the company that has contracted with the jail. Of course, the video visits and messages have a fee and those are paid for by the inmate’s family and friends who use the service.

If inmates are supposedly being punished, why do they get access to tablets?

That’s the question a lot of people ask and don’t fully understand.

The way the jail staff looks at it, is that if they can keep the inmates busy and distracted, it makes it safer for them. 

Tablets also give them a certain power over controller an inmate’s behavior. For example, if an inmate knows that they will lose the privilege of having access to a tablet if they get into a fight or violate another rule or policy, they will be better behaved. 

Tablets are one of the few things that make an inmate feel as though they are free, and they don’t want to lose the privilege of having access to one.

What companies have tablets for jail and inmate use?

CIDNET
City Tele Coin
Gettingout
GTL
Homewav
IC Solutions
Inmate Sales
JailATM
J Pay
NCIC
Oasis
Paytel
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications

What if an inmate breaks a tablet, do they have to pay for it?

Yes, if an inmate breaks a tablet, then they are responsible for paying for it. The money will come out of their commissary funds, so not only do they lose access to having a tablet as punishment, but they also won’t be able to purchase snacks on commissary.
 

Santa Barbara County Bail Bond Information

Because Santa Barbara County and California can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Santa Barbara County Main Jail at 805-681-4260, 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 Santa Barbara County Main Jail or the Santa Barbara County Court Clerk these specific questions:

  1. Is the defendant eligible for bail or a bond?
  2. How much will the bail or bond be, and what are the additional fees?
  3. Where do I go to pay it?
  4. Are there any days or times of the day or night when I cannot post bail?
  5. What types of payment are allowed? Cash? Money order? Credit card? What types of credit cards? Property or other collateral? Surety bonds?
  6. Do I have to use a bail or bond agent?

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.


 

How Do Inmates in Santa Barbara County Main Jail Make or Receive Phone Calls?

To receive phone calls from inmates in Santa Barbara County, or to assist them in making phone calls to other people, follow these steps:

1.  Start by confirming that Santa Barbara County Main Jail has the phone service you need to communicate with your inmate by the facility lookup here.
2. In the meantime, you can create an account here for GettingOut.
3. Then add funds to your account. This account can be controlled by just you, or by both you and your inmate.
4. Last, select Santa Barbara County Main Jail, and then the inmate you wish to communicate with.

Santa Barbara County Services that are provided by GettingOut, a GTL company:
 - Phone Calls & Voicemail 
 - Video Visits (from home or jail lobby)
 - Email & Photo Sharing
 - Tablet Rental
 - Deposits


Phone & Voicemail Fees

1.  GettingOut charges $0.25 per minute for all phone calls, prepaid or collect, within California.
2. Prepaid calls between California and other states costs $0.21 per minute. International calls are $0.95 per minute.
3. There is a fee of $3.00 every time you add money to your account online, and it costs $5.95 if you add funds over the phone with a live agent.
4. You can also leave an inmate a short voice message for a flat fee of $1.25.

Note: Rates are subject to change.

Types of Phone Calls
Collect Calls
Collect calls allow you to accept and pay for calls to your land line (only) phone account. This means that if you accept your call from your inmate, all the charges for that call will then be billed to your land line phone account and will show up and be listed on your next local phone bill. Additional fees, costs, restrictions may apply.

Prepaid calls (Direct Calls)
With Prepaid Calls you can set up your account so that the inmate can only call you and/or you can just deposit money in their account and they can purchase prepaid phone cards through their commissary and call whoever they choose, provided the Santa Barbara County Main Jail approves of the phone number.

Quick Connect
Quick connect is an alternative to collect calls. It allows you to quickly pay for a phone call with your credit card.  When your inmate calls you, follow the instructions from the automated voice system to pay for that one phone call, directly billed to your card.

Customer Service
If you have any questions about the Santa Barbara County Main Jail GettingOut phone services, you can call them at 866-516-0115.

* All the information you need to understand making and receiving phone calls with inmates in Santa Barbara County, can be found on our Inmate Phone Page.


 

Santa Barbara County Main Jail Inmate Mail Policies and Address - What Can You Send, and Where?

For inmates receiving mail in the Santa Barbara County Main Jail there are different addresses and policies depending on the inmate's status, as well as what type of mail they are receiving; personal mail, legal mail, subscriptions or books sent from a third-party such as Amazon.

All mail is to be shipped to the Santa Barbara County Main Jail:
Inmate's Full Name & CID Number
Santa Barbara County Jail
4436 Calle Real
Santa Barbara, CA 93110


For complete information on mail policies, what you can send an inmate and what address to send them, check out our Inmate Mail page.


 

How to Send a Carepack Commissary Package Directly to an Inmate in Santa Barbara County

To send a commissary carepack (food, snacks and goods) directly to an inmate in Santa Barbara County Main Jail follow these steps:

  • Select California, then select Santa Barbara County Main Jail, and then select the 'Send a Package Order' option.
  • Register and create an account with Access Securepak, for Santa Barbara County.
  • Choose the inmate and the products you want shipped to them, and input your payment method. 
  • NOTE: There may be a limit on how much product you can send your inmate in Santa Barbara County at any one time.

For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Santa Barbara County Main Jail check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Santa Barbara County.


 

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Santa Barbara County

To send commissary money to an inmate in Santa Barbara County Main Jail follow these steps:

  • Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
  • Select California, then select Santa Barbara County Main Jail, and then the inmate you want to send money to.
  • Choose the amount of money you want to send, and input your payment method.

For all information on how to Send Money to an inmate's account check out our full money and commissary guide for Santa Barbara County Main Jail.


 

How to Send a Secure Email Message to an Inmate in Santa Barbara County

To send a secure email message to an inmate in Santa Barbara County Main Jail follow these steps:

  • Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
  • Select California, then select Santa Barbara County Main Jail, and then the inmate you want to send your message to.
  • Choose the amount of money you want to spend, and input your payment method. The funds can also be used by the inmate to send a message back to you.
  • NOTE: All messages between you and your inmate will be permanently recorded and seen by the staff and could be used against your inmate in court.

For all information on how to Text/Email an Inmate in Santa Barbara County Main Jail check out our Secure Messaging Guide for Santa Barbara County.


 

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