Rountree Medium Facility Visitation Changes Due to Coronavirus

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Rountree Medium Facility

Address:
90 Rountree Lane
Watsonville, CA 95076
Phone:
831-454-7873

New Visitation Policies in Rountree Medium Facility Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus

Because of concerns for the safety and wellness of both staff and inmates at the Rountree Medium Facility in Watsonville, California, contact visits of any type may be suspended. Even if they have visits, from time to time, face masks may be required.

Approved Non-contact visits with family, friends and the inmate’s lawyers may still be allowed when at-home or onsite video visitation is not available, however given that new guidelines are changing daily please check the visitation page or call 831-454-2434 for updates.

Video Visitation at Rountree Medium Facility

At-home and onsite video visitation guidelines for Rountree Medium Facility, when this service is available, can be found by going to the visitation information page.

We highly recommend that you call 831-454-2434 first for any changes due to staff shortages or other unforeseen circumstances, including whether your inmate has become ill and is unable to be in the general population where video kiosks are available.

How Long Will These Changes Last?

Experts in the study of the COVID-19 are anticipating that spread of the virus will be a ongoing concern for Santa Cruz County, the state of California and the entire United States until well into 2024 and maybe even beyond. We are witnessing the virus becoming more contagious, but less deadly over time. Many people think that the 'more contagious, but less deadly' variants will infect so many people that a higher level of natural immunity for the majority of Americans will be the end result.

Will the Inmates in Rountree Medium Facility Be Safe from Getting Sick With COVID-19 Coronavirus?

Whether the inmates are safe from contracting the coronavirus depends entirely on two things:

The Virus being introduced into the facility by a staff member or inmate who is unaware that they have it.
How easily it spreads.

At this stage most people who get the coronavirus show very few symptoms beyond what you might experience with a bad cold or a mild case of the common flu. Newer variants are turning out to be less deadly than the common flu we experience every year.

Studies that have been done are showing that the hardest hit are those 60 years of age and older, those with pre-existing medical issues like diabetes, leukemia or obese individuals. Young men and women rarely become very ill, and when they do, seem to recover quickly.

Given the close proximity of inmates and staff to each other in this lockup, it is going to be very difficult to prevent the spread of COVID-19 once it is introduced into the facility as the virus can spread via the microscopic vapor that we release every time we speak, cough or sneeze.

We will continuously update this page as the virus changes and new policies are instituted.

Santa Cruz County Bail Bond Information

Because Santa Cruz County and California can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Rountree Medium Facility at 831-454-7873, 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 Rountree Medium Facility or the Santa Cruz County Court Clerk these specific questions:

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

Rountree Medium Facility Inmate Mail Types

Postcards
The Rountree Medium Facility 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 Rountree Medium Facility also allows regular postcards and envelopes to be mailed to inmates as well.

Personal postcards and envelopes MUST be mailed to the following address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID or S Number
Smart Communications-Santa Cruz County Jail-CA
P.O. Box 9143
Seminole, FL 33775-9143

Legal Mail
Legal Mail is mail from Attorneys, law enforcement, the courts, bail companies, etc.

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 Rountree Medium Facility 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 above.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Rountree Medium Facility 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 legal mail, newspapers, magazines and books are to be shipped to:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID or S Number
Rountree Medium Facility
90 Rountree Lane
Watsonville, CA. 95076

Depositing Money in an Inmate's Commissary Account at Rountree Medium Facility

Whatever cash the inmate has on their person when booked into the facility will automatically deposited and credited to their account. When released any money left in the account will be returned to them in the form of a check from the Sheriff's Department or the Rountree Medium Facility Trust Account. There may be circumstances where the inmate can give permission to have his money released to a family member or friend.

Option 1 - Dropping Money at the Jail
Bring money to the jail in person.
Use the self-serve kiosk in the lobby that accepts cash, debit or credit cards.
Santa Cruz County Jail
259 Water Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Option 2 - Mail the Inmate Deposit to the Jail
Mailing a deposit takes more time to process than the other methods but can be done if you live too far away to bring it in person.
Never send cash. Always send a Money Order from the US Post Office, a reputable bank or Western Union.
Make the Money Order out to the inmate and put their Inmate ID# in memo section of the Money Order.
Mail to:
Santa Cruz County Jail
259 Water Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

For complete information on depositing money at the Rountree Medium Facility, including limits, where to drop or mail them and anything else, check out our Inmate Money page.

How Inmates Can Use a Tablet to Access Services at Rountree Medium Facility

To find out how to get access to a tablet for inmate read the following:

1. First, Register or Sign In to GettingOut/GTL

2. Purchase the services you want for your Rountree Medium Facility inmate.
3. All inmates have free access to the tablets to read their letters from family & friends, but there are many other services available to keep your inmate busy while incarcerated... such as Games, Books, Music and Movies. These other services come with fees that you can pay for when you pay for phone service.

To learn more about Tablet Rentals for inmates, including the cost, all the services available and everything else you need to know, check out our Tablet Rental Page.

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Santa Cruz County

To send commissary money to an inmate in Rountree Medium Facility follow these steps:

Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
Select California, then select Rountree Medium Facility, 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 Rountree Medium Facility.

Depositing Money for Communicating with an Inmate

How to Make a Deposit for Phone, Email or Visitation using GettingOut.com

Rountree Medium Facility uses GettingOut for some or all of its communication services with an inmate.

If you want to deposit money using this company for your use or your inmate's account, there are four ways to do it:

Online - They accept all major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
At the Rountree Medium Facility using the kiosk in the jail lobby - (cash, debit or credit card) NOTE - Rountree Medium Facility may require identity verification so bring your driver’s license or some other form of ID.
By phone by calling 866-516-0115 - They have bi-lingual operators are standing by 24 hours 7 days a week to assist you with your deposit. Major credit cards accepted are Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
By using their app, either Android or iphone. - All credit cards mentioned above are accepted.

For all the information you need to know, including tips, guidelines and warnings about depositing money in a Rountree Medium Facility inmate's account for communication services, check out our Send Money page.

How to Communicate with an Rountree Medium Facility Inmate by Mail and by Email

To mail or email an inmate in Santa Cruz County follow these steps:

When mailing a letter or postcard to an inmate, please follow these instructions:

All mail sent to an inmate at the Rountree Medium Facility must include the sender's name and mailing address in the top left corner of the envelope or postcard.
All mail must include the facility's address, as well as the inmate's name and assigned number.
Failure to include your return address will most likely result in your mail NOT being delivered and your letter destroyed.
The Rountree Medium Facility has a zero-tolerance policy regarding mail violations.
All the information you need to understand mail and email policies can be found on our Inmate Mail Page and our Text/Email an Inmate Page.

Emailing Messages & Photos

Facility_name_1} contracts with GTL GettingOut, the same service that handles iInmate Phone Systems and Video Visitation, for sending secure messages and photos between you and your inmate.

If you are not already registered, do so here, or Log in.

Then use the Facility Finder to:
1. Select Rountree Medium Facility,
2. Add your inmate to your list of contacts,
3. Add a credit or debit card to cover your costs.

Messages can be up to 500 characters long, including punctuation. At the bottom of your message there is a 'character countdown' feature.
After you click the “CONTINUE” button, you can review the cost to send your message to your inmate. You can also attach credits for your inmate to reply to your message. Be sure to accept the Terms and Conditions and click the “SEND” button for your message to be successfully delivered to your inmate.
You can also send your Santa Cruz County inmate photos and videos.

Customer Service Questions
'Online' Contact Form, or
Call 866-516-0115

Go here to this FAQ to get answers to how the transition to ViaPath from GTL and gettingout will affect your account.

All the information you need to understand mail and email policies for Santa Cruz County can be found on our Inmate Mail Page and our Text/Email an Inmate Page.

How Do You Visit an Inmate in Rountree Medium Facility?

To visit an inmate in Santa Cruz County, whether by video or in person 'at the jail', follow these steps:

Other than 'at the jail' visits between you and your inmate, which is explained and outlined in detail on our Visit Inmate Page, Santa Cruz County remote video inmate visitation can be done using the services of GettingOut.

There are three ways to remotely visit your inmate in Rountree Medium Facility:
1. Using the GettingOut Kiosk at the jail.
2. Using your computer from home.
3. Using your phone on the GettingOut apps.

To remotely visit an inmate in Santa Cruz County follow these steps:
1. Start by confirming that Rountree Medium Facility's Video Visitation is working correctly by looking up Santa Cruz County here.
2. The next step is to create an account here for GettingOut.
3. Then add funds to your account.
4. Last, select Rountree Medium Facility, and then the inmate you wish to communicate with.

Other Santa Cruz County Services provided by GettingOut:
- Phone Calls & Voicemail
- Email, Photo & Video Sharing
- Inmate Tablet Rental
- Deposits

Customer Service
If you have any questions about the Rountree Medium Facility Visitation Services you can call them at 866-516-0115.
Frequently Asked Questions

* All the information you need to have complete knowledge about inmate visitation; policies, rules, fees, schedules, tips, dress codes, and children, lawyers and clergy visitation in Santa Cruz County, can be found on our Visit Inmate Page.

Rountree Medium Facility Phone: 831-454-7873

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

To send a commissary carepack (food, snacks and goods) directly to an inmate in Rountree Medium Facility follow these steps:

Select California, then select Rountree Medium Facility, and then select the 'Send a Package Order' option.
Register and create an account with Access Securepak, for Santa Cruz 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 Cruz County at any one time.

For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Rountree Medium Facility check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Santa Cruz County.

How Do Inmates in Rountree Medium Facility Make Phone Calls?

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

Rountree Medium Facility uses the services of IC Solutions.
Register with them online or call them at 888-506-8407.
Agents are available 24 hours a day, and speak both English & Spanish.
Services for Santa Cruz County inmates and their families and friends include Collect Calling, PIN Debits, Purchasing Calling Cards, Voicemail & Prepaid calls. In addition, IC Solutions provides secure messaging, sending photos, video phone calls and online deposits for inmates and their families in Santa Cruz County.
Although rates are subject to change, they generally run about $0.21 per minute for phone calls.

Note: All your calls with an inmate are recorded, stored and shared with law enforcement if the conversation deals with your case or any criminal activity. Anything communicated can be used against you or your inmate in court.

For all the information regarding phone calls with Santa Cruz County inmates; rules, policies, phone calling times, limits and more visit our Inmate Phone Page.