Polk County Jail, IA Inmate Tablets

Tablets Info Visits Mail Phone Money Bail Inmate Search Email Remote Visits Commissary Court Booking Photos Court Process Video Nearby Jails

Polk County Jail

Address:
1985 NE 51st Place
Des Moines, IA 50313
Phone:
515-323-5400

Using or Renting a Tablet at the Polk County Jail

Polk County Jail allows inmates access to tablets to use for the services provided by 'gettingout'.

The devices are similar to common handheld tablets, but are made exclusively by GettingOut, a GTL / Viapath company.
Tablets offer specialized content and services for inmates to use during their stay at Polk County Jail, such as:

Music
Books
Games
Education
News
Radio
Television
Read mail and messages
Video visits

- Free services are already available for use on the device at Polk County Jail.
- Subscription services are funded separately by family and friends with deposits made into an inmate’s Debit Link account.
- Polk County Jail Inmates will then be able to purchase subscription services and premium content to enjoy.

What Does a Tablet Cost?

Tablet devices include some services and the content is free.
The subscription services require additional funding.
There may be multiple options such as 7-day or 30-day subscriptions.
Costs are dependent upon the available services and what the Polk County Jail charges.

To estimate costs for phone calls, sign in to your account and click “Rate & Fees Calculator” in the footer (bottom of the page) or call 866-516-0115 for assistance.

Does Polk County Jail have tablets for the inmates to use?

You can find information about the Polk County 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 515-323-5400 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.

Polk County Jail Inmate Mail Policies and Address - What Can You Send, and Where?

For inmates receiving mail in the Polk County 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 Polk County Jail:
(Inmate's Complete Name)
Polk County Jail
1985 - NE 51st Place
Des Moines, IA 50313-2517

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 Inmates Can Use a Tablet to Access Services at Polk 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 Polk 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 Communicate with an Polk County Jail Inmate by Mail and by Email

To mail or email an inmate in Polk 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 Polk County Jail 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 Polk County Jail 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 Polk County Jail,
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 Polk 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 Polk County can be found on our Inmate Mail Page and our Text/Email an Inmate Page.

How to visit an inmate in Polk County Iowa using Video Visitation or visiting an inmate at the jail

To visit an inmate in Polk County follow these steps:

In addition to visiting inmates at the jail, Polk County Jail uses a video visitation service called iWebVisit.com.
In order to visit with your inmate online or at the Polk County Jail Video Kiosk, you must first register with iWebVisit .
Registering is free.
Next, select “Choose A Facility” and then select Polk County Jail. This will become your “Default” facility each time you log in.
Next, Click “Schedule a Visit” and enter your inmate's name and inmate number.
Select either “Visit Now” or “Schedule Visit Later” and choose an available date and time.
After your visit payment is processed, you may begin visiting your inmate in Polk County at your scheduled time.

Who do you contact if you are having any problems arranging the remote video visit of an inmate in Polk County?
Call iWebVisit support at 775-434-8748. They are available 7 Days a week (5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. EST)

For full instructions on all the benefits of using IC Solutions to visit a Polk County inmate, visiting an inmate at the jail itself, rates, policies, rules, dress codes, bringing children, attorney and clergy visits and more, go to our official Visit Inmate Page.

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

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

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

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

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Polk County

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

Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
Select Iowa, then select Polk 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 Polk County Jail.

How an Inmate Makes a Phone Call to You or Others from Polk County Jail

To set up a phone account so that your inmate can call you from Polk County do the following:

1. Enroll in an account with Securus Technologies.

2. Choose one of three account types, Securus Debit, Advance Connect or Direct Bill.
3. Choose [facility_name_1}, then connect with your inmate.
4. If you have any questions, call Securus: 972-734-1111 or 800-844-6591.

To find out fees, how to's, calling times, limits on phone calls and other systems Securus has do that you can communicate with your Polk County inmate, check out our Inmate Phone Page.
NOTE: All of your inmate's phone calls are recorded and stored. It is advised not to discuss their pending case.