Sarasota County Jail Inmate Commissary

Search for an Inmate in Sarasota County

Sarasota County Jail

Address:
2020 Main St.
Sarasota, FL 34237

Phone:

941-861-4165

Buy Commissary for an Inmate in the Sarasota County Jail

Sarasota County Jail Inmate Commissary - Sending Money or Purchasing Commissary for an Inmate

Sarasota County Jail allows inmates to purchase commissary. This can be snacks, hygiene products, stamps, stationary, clothing and even electronics.

You can buy commissary for an inmate using an online service called Access Securepak.

There is a monthly limit of $200-300 on how much inmates can spend on commissary items.

This amount is subject to change so call the facility at 941-861-4165 in order to confirm the amount that cannot be exceeded.

Inmates have access to both an in-house commissary store, and commissary packages that can be purchased and shipped to the inmate by friends and family.

Scroll down for information on the Sarasota County Jail's service they use for you being able to purchase commissary items online and have them shipped directly to the inmate. 

You can also go to our Inmate Money page for information on how to send money to an inmate.

Sarasota County Jail Commissary Carepacks

Sarasota County Jail contracts with Access Securepak (aka MyCarePak) for families to send pre-determined packages of commissary items to your inmate.

Access Securepak carries over 1,000 different items in the following categories:
- Food and Snacks
- Personal Hygiene Products
- Electronics
- Apparel

Registration Process:
1. Register here.
2. Select Florida.
3. Select Sarasota County Jail.
4. Find your Inmate.
5. Deposit Funds.
6. Order Commissary Items.
Once you are logged in, you will receive instructions on how much (and what products) you can send your inmate.
Contact Information:
* If you have any questions, you can call Access Securepak at 800-546-6283.
* You can email My Care Pack at [email protected].
* You can write them at:
    Access Securepak
    10880 Linpage Place
    St. Louis, MO 63132

* You can Live Chat with a Representative online: (bottom left corner of page)
   Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.–11 p.m. CST, 
   and Saturdays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. CST.

*Note* Access Securepak will issue a refund for or replace broken, damaged, or missing products reported by Sarasota County Jail staff. They will not honor reports of discrepancies from inmate's families or friends.
My CarePack is the Sarasota County Jail's outside vendor for Commissary Items. They have a very good mix of Chips, Snacks, Candy, Meat, Seafood, Hygiene products, Letter writing materials, Electronics and Apparel items for sale on their website.


*NOTE* -- Once you are fully registered and have selected the inmate you wish to send commissary to, you will receive instructions on how much you can deposit, how much (and what) you can purchase for your inmate, and how often you can send commissary.

Can Inmates at the Sarasota County Jail Get Hot Takeout Food Delivered?

Sarasota County Jail may offer hot 'take-out' style food for their inmates using the Access Securepak website. This food needs to be ordered online, or by phone by calling 800-546-6283, by you.
This program is not available in all facilities that use Access Securepak, but is rolling out in new facilities daily... check their website to see if it's available in Sarasota County Jail today.


Some of the food offered includes pizza, hamburgers, cicken sandwiches, donuts and french fries. 

Commissary Money Deposits

Sarasota County Jail uses Access Corrections Secure Deposits (also known as 'Smart Deposit') for depositing money into an inmate's account. 

The information below provides you complete instructions regarding the Sarasota County Jail:
- Inmate Accounts and Deposits,
- Commissary Information,
- Depositing Money Online,
- Mailing Inmate Money, and
- What 'property' Sarasota County Jail inmates are allowed to have in jail and/or have dropped off to them.
Follow the instructions below on this page exactly to help ensure that your inmate has access to commissary, and in some cases medical and bail money, as soon as possible.

What is an Inmate Commissary?

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.

What items can inmates purchase in jail and prison?

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

How much money can an inmate spend on commissary each month?

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 Sarasota County Jail can spend each month, call 941-861-4165.

How often can inmates purchase commissary?

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 Sarasota County Jail, call 941-861-4165.

How can a friend or family member deposit money for an inmate in jail or prison?

Sarasota County Jail has its own methods for receiving money for inmates, and that information can be found above or by calling 941-861-4165 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 Sarasota County Jail, this information will be outlined above.

Who are the companies that jails use to send money to inmates?

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

How do I send an inmate money by mail?

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 941-861-4165.

Can I send an inmate money online?

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 Sarasota County Jail contracts with for inmate deposits, call them at 941-861-4165.

How expensive are items on commissary?

Items on commissary are no more expensive than they would be at a local Walmart store.

What is a Commissary deposit?

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.

How much money can inmate have in his commissary account?

The limit that an inmate can have in their commissary account is usually about $300.00. To find out what the limit is for Sarasota County Jail, call 941-861-4165.

Can I send an inmate a package or care pack??

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 941-861-4165 to see which one that the Sarasota County Jail 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

Can an inmate buy gifts on commissary?

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.

Sarasota County Jail Inmate Mail Guidelines

Postcards
The Sarasota County Jail 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 Sarasota County Jail also allows envelopes to be mailed to inmates.

Postcards and envelopes MUST be mailed to the following address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID Number
Smart Communications - SCCF
PO Box 700
Pinellas Park, FL 33781



Legal Mail

Send all legal Mail to this Address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID Number
Sarasota County Correctional Facility
2020 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34237



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 Sarasota County Jail allows books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as AmazonBarnes & 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 Sarasota County Jail 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 & Inmate ID Number
Sarasota County Correctional Facility
2020 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34237


 

How to Arrange Video Visitation with Sarasota County Jail Inmates

Follow these instructions to schedule and then visit an inmate using GTL.

  • Register yourself and all visitors.
  • Select Sarasota County Jail
  • Select your inmate.
  • Schedule your preferred time for the visit.

For all the information you need to know regarding scheduling, cost, rules, tips and guidelines of inmate visits at the Sarasota County Jail, check out our Visit Inmate Page.


 

How Do You Communicate with an Inmate in the Sarasota County Jail by Phone

Follow these instructions on how to open an account with GTL Connect Network (aka Viapath Technologies)

  • Advance Pay - This phone account allows you to prepay so that your inmate can call you (and only you) whenever he/she wants and the cost of each call is deducted from your balance. You can even be notified by text when your balance gets low. You still have the option of accepting or rejecting each call.
  • Pin Debit  -  This option allows you to fund an inmate's commissary account and lets him pay for phone calls to you and others with the money. You will have no control over who your inmate calls.
  • Voicemail  -  You can leave a secure voicemail without having to contact the facility. When you call the local phone number for a facility offering Inmate Voicemail (call Customer Service at 877-650-4249 to get the local voicemail number for Sarasota County Jail, you will be informed of the cost for leaving a message. To leave your message, simply select the inmate by ID number. Then, record your voicemail.

For full instructions on the Sarasota County Jail Inmate Phone System, what the costs are, how it works, and tips and guidelines on rules, regulations and saving money on calls, check out our Inmate Phones Page.


 

How Inmates Can Use a Tablet to Access Services at Sarasota County Jail

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 Sarasota County Jail 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 and Receive Secure Text and Email Messages with an Inmate in Sarasota County Jail

To communicate by text or email with an Sarasota County inmate, follow these instructions:

  • To send or receive a message you MUST first open a SmartJailMail.com account.
  • Once you open an account, you may search for Sarasota County inmates or detainees to connect with.
  • When you locate the Sarasota County inmate that you want to connect with, you can send them a connection request.
  • Sarasota County Jail will then need to approve the request before you can send messages.

For all the information you need to send and receive secure messages in the form of text or email with a Sarasota County Jail inmate, including how it works, how much it costs, renting your inmate a tablet, how often you can communicate and more, check out our Text/Email an Inmate Page.
NOTE: Your messages will be monitored and stored. You may want to refrain from discussing your inmate's court case.


 

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

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

  • Select Florida, then select Sarasota County Jail, and then select the 'Send a Package Order' option.
  • Register and create an account with Access Securepak, for Sarasota 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 Sarasota County at any one time.

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


 

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Sarasota County

To send commissary money to an inmate in Sarasota County Jail follow these steps:

  • Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
  • Select Florida, then select Sarasota County 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 Sarasota County Jail.


 

Photos of this facility
1 / 4
2 / 4
3 / 4
4 / 4

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Sarasota County Jail allow packages to be shipped to an inmate?
Yes. The Sarasota County Jail uses an online service called Access Securepak in which friends and family members can order everything from snacks, candy and hot food to clothes, stationary and electronics, and have them shipped directly to any inmate. The prices are reasonable and ordering is easy. Learn more about ordering Access Securepak packages online for an inmate in the Sarasota County Jail. If you want to order by phone call 800-546-6283.

What kind of things can an inmate in the Sarasota County Jail buy in commissary?
The Sarasota County Jail allows a wide variety of food, snack foods, candy, clothing, electronics and other items to be purchased by inmates either through their commissary or by friends and family members sending in care packages from a third-party vendor called Access Securepak. All of the snacks and candy are brand name items that they are used to purchasing on the outside. Learn more about ordering Access Securepak packages online for an inmate in the Sarasota County Jail. If you want to order by phone call 800-546-6283.

Why do inmates in the Sarasota County Jail need commissary?
Inmates in the Sarasota County Jail do not necessarily need commissary, as the jail provides the with the minimum food and hygiene products they need to subsist. But jail is a very stressful place, and by having a daily snack, or using a soap, shampoo or toothpaste that are used to using on the outside can bring a certain amount of normalcy and comfort to their life inside. Learn more about ordering Access Securepak packages online for an inmate in the Sarasota County Jail. If you want to order by phone call 800-546-6283.

Are commissary items used for gambling in the Sarasota County Jail?
Yes. Because inmates do not have access to actual cash money in the Sarasota County Jail, snacks, candy, brand name hygiene products and other sundries inmates can get from commissary and care packages you ship to them are used as currency, thus for gambling. In addition to gambling, commissary items can be used to purchase services such as haircuts, tattoos and cell cleaning. Unfortunately, in many cases, commissary items are also used to purchase protection from other inmates who wish them harm. If your inmate is needing more than $10 a day for commissary, they are getting pretty fat or are using the items they purchase for gambling purposes or personal protection. Learn more about inmate commissary in the Sarasota County Jail.

How much money should you send an inmate in Sarasota County Jail for commissary?
A reasonable amount of commissary money you should send your inmate is whatever your budget allows. While jail is stressful for an inmate, it is just as stressful for their family members or loved ones on the outside. You are the one that still has bills to pay; rent, utilities, food, phone, children's needs, gas, car payments and all the other stresses of life. As hard as the pressure you are getting to send money, your needs and the children's come first. Sarasota County Jail limits the inmates to receiving no more than $300-400 per month in commissary money and/or care packages, not including phone expenses, but realistically an inmate can get by on less than $100 per month of products and be comfortable. Learn more about inmate commissary in the Sarasota County Jail.

I didn't get the items from Access Securepak that I ordered. Can I get a refund?
Access Securepak will issue a refund for or replace broken, damaged, or missing products reported by Sarasota County Jail staff. They will not take your word for missing or broken items. You must get the jail staff to report it if you want a refund. Learn more about refunds from Access Securepak in the Sarasota County Jail. Call the jail at 941-861-4165 or if you want to discuss a problem call 800-546-6283.

Search for an Inmate in Sarasota County