Sarasota County Jail, FL Video Visitation

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Sarasota County Jail

Address:
2020 Main St.
Sarasota, FL 34237
Phone:
941-861-4165

Remote Visitation with an Inmate at the Sarasota County Jail

Sarasota County Jail offers Video Visitation for Inmates using the Services of GTL, aka ViaPath Techologies

In order to schedule and then visit an inmate using GTL you need to first register with GTL.

Next Steps:

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

For at-home video visits: Sign in to the visitation scheduling site 15 minutes prior to your scheduled visit. Test your connection, and follow the steps to start your visit.
For on-site video visits: Arrive at the facility at least 15 minutes prior to check-in. A valid photo ID is required.

All your questions can be answered after you register, at the Frequently Asked Questions page, or call 855-208-7349 during the following hours:
6AM – 4PM MST Monday – Friday, or
7AM – 4PM MST Saturday – Sunday

Costs for Visits are subject to change but generally run less than $10.00 for a 30 minute visit.
Payment can be made with Visa, Mastercard debit, credit or gift cards.

Sarasota County Jail Inmate Video Visitation Schedule & Registration

2020 Main St.
Sarasota, FL 34237
941-861-4165

First, you must register online or in the jail lobby with GTL / Viapath.
On-site visits are free.
Remote visits are $12.00 for a 25 minute visit.
Inmates are allowed three (3) fifty-minute visitations per week.
The maximum number of visitors allowed at each visit is three (3), including children.
Visits may be scheduled two weeks in advance and up to 24 hours prior to your desired visit. Visits may be canceled up to 48 hours prior to visit.
Dress professionally and NON seductively.
You will need a valid government issued photo ID.
If you have any questions call the jail at 941-861-4692.

DAY	TIMES
SUNDAY	9:00AM - 11:00AM* 12:00PM - 6:00PM
MONDAY	9:00AM - 11:00AM* 12:00PM - 6:00PM
TUESDAY	9:00AM - 11:00AM* 12:00PM - 6:00PM
WEDNESDAY	9:00AM - 11:00AM* 12:00PM - 6:00PM
THURSDAY	9:00AM - 11:00AM* 12:00PM - 6:00PM
FRIDAY	9:00AM - 11:00AM* 12:00PM - 6:00PM
SATURDAY	9:00AM - 11:00AM* 12:00PM - 6:00PM

* Remote Visits begin at 8:30AM

What is a video visit?

Video visitation, also known as remote visitation, is quickly becoming the preferred method for visiting an inmate in jail or prison for the following reasons:

•   It requires little to no staff, versus the staff required to move inmates to and from the visit and watch over the visit. It saves the Sarasota County Jail money.
•   It removes any opportunity for contraband (drugs) to enter the facility.
•   It can become a profit center for the facility, given that the revenue generated by visits is shared with the jail.
•   While inmates prefer to see family and friends in person, video visitation allows them to visit with them more often, and on a whim.
•   Video visitation gives the inmates and their visitors the feeling of more privacy.

Video visitation from the perspective of the visitor allows them to visit from their home, their car, at work, and even allows them to take their device to a family or religious gathering. It allows them to give their inmate the feeling of belonging and not being forgotten.

Video visitation can take place on a computer, a tablet or a phone.

Video visitation saves time. Instead of spending hours driving to the jail, checking in, filling out paperwork, potentially being searched, waiting, and then having a 15–30-minute visit, if it isn’t cancelled at the last minute, the visit can be done from anywhere during a short break in the visitor’s day.

If the visitor does not have access to a phone or computer, they can make an appointment ahead of time and use terminals in the lobby of the jail.

You must also be on the inmate's approved list, even for a video visit.

What are the companies that work with the jails and prisons that allow video visits?

There are several different companies that contract with all the jails and prisons that allow video visitation:

These are the companies in alphabetical order:

CIDNET
City Tele Coin
Correct Solutions Group
Correct Pay
Ctel
Gettingout
GTL
Homewav
IC Solutions
Inmate Canteen
Inmate Sales
iwebvisits
JailATM
Jpay
Gettingintouch (netvisit)
NCIC
Prodigy Sales
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Tiger Services
Visitel
In addition, some jails use Microsoft Meeting and Zoom.

Visitation Options, Hours, Schedules & Rules

Visitation times and schedules for remote visitation with an inmate at Sarasota County Jail with GTL are available to you after logging in and selecting the inmate you wish to visit with.

* Visitation schedules are subject to change.
* The actual visiting hours vary depending on the following factors:

Whether or not there are restrictions in place due to COVID or other factors such as security issues.
The day of the week.
Where the inmate is housed.
The inmate's sex.
Whether or not it is a Holiday.

* Each inmate is allowed one or two visits (or unlimited visits!), ranging from 15 minutes to one hour in length each week.
* Inmates with special privileges may be allowed additional visits.
* If you are visiting from another state or traveling a great distance, Sarasota County Jail may allow you an extended visitation. Call 941-861-4165 to ask for special consideration.
* Call 941-861-4165 to ask about normal visiting hours at the jail, and procedures for scheduling a visit other than video visitation.

Sarasota County Bail Bond Information

Because Sarasota County and Florida can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Sarasota County Jail at 941-861-4165, 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 Sarasota County Jail or the Sarasota 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.

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 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 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.