Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center Photos & Videos

How to Communicate with an Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center Inmate by Mail and by Email

To mail or email an inmate in Winnebago 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 Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center 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 Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center 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 Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center,
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 Winnebago 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 Winnebago County can be found on our Inmate Mail Page and our Text/Email an Inmate Page.

How Do You Visit an Inmate in Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center?

To visit an inmate in Winnebago 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, Winnebago County remote video inmate visitation can be done using the services of GettingOut. 

There are three ways to remotely visit your inmate in Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center:
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 Winnebago County follow these steps:
1.  Start by confirming that Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center's Video Visitation is working correctly by looking up Winnebago County here.
2.  The next step is to create an account here for GettingOut.
3. Then add funds to your account.
4. Last, select Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center, and then the inmate you wish to communicate with.

Other Winnebago 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 Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center 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 Winnebago County, can be found on our Visit Inmate Page.

Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center Phone: 815-516-2980

How to use a Tablet to Access Services at Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center

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

1.  First, Register or Sign In to GTL / Viapath Services.

2.  In the top menu, click on 'Services', then on 'Inmate Devices & Content'.
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 Do You Communicate with an Inmate in the Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center 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 Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center, 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 Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center 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.