Pottawattamie County Jail Remote Inmate Video Visits

Pottawattamie County Jail

Address:
1400 Big Lake Road
Council Bluffs, IA 51501

Phone:

712-890-2260

Pottawattamie County Jail uses CIDNET for Remote Video Visitation

Pottawattamie County Jail uses CIDNET for Remote Video Visitation between inmates and their friends and family.  
Register here.


Friends & Family Portal Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Instructions on How to Use CIDNET
CIDNET Instrucciones
Contact Customer Support

Pottawattamie County Jail Inmate Video Visitation Schedule

1400 Big Lake Road
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
712-890-2260

  • First, you must register, puchase data, and then schedule with CIDNET.
  • Visits are 20 minutes.
  • The more data you purchase, the less expensive each MB of data is.

ON SITE VIDEO VISITATION

DAY TIMES
SUNDAY 1:00PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 9:00PM
MONDAY 1:00PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 9:00PM
TUESDAY 1:00PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 9:00PM
WEDNESDAY 1:00PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 9:00PM
THURSDAY 1:00PM - 4:00PM
6:30PM - 9:00PM
FRIDAY 1:00PM - 4:00PM
​​​​​​​6:30PM - 9:00PM
SATURDAY 1:00PM - 4:00PM
​​​​​​​6:30PM - 9:00PM

REMOTE VIDEO VISITATION SCHEDULE

DAY TIMES
SUNDAY 9:00AM - 10:45AM
11:45AM - 4:45PM
6:30PM - 9:30PM
MONDAY 9:00AM - 10:45AM
11:45AM - 4:45PM
​​​​​​​6:30PM - 9:30PM
TUESDAY 9:00AM - 10:45AM
11:45AM - 4:45PM
​​​​​​​6:30PM - 9:30PM
WEDNESDAY 9:00AM - 10:45AM
11:45AM - 4:45PM
​​​​​​​6:30PM - 9:30PM
THURSDAY 9:00AM - 10:45AM
11:45AM - 4:45PM
​​​​​​​6:30PM - 9:30PM
FRIDAY 9:00AM - 10:45AM
11:45AM - 4:45PM
​​​​​​​6:30PM - 9:30PM
SATURDAY 9:00AM - 10:45AM
11:45AM - 4:45PM
​​​​​​​6:30PM - 9:30PM

 

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 Pottawattamie 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.

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

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

  • Register to create an account, or Log in to your account at Inmate Canteen if you already have one.
  • Select Iowa, then Pottawattamie County Jail, and then the inmate you wish to purchase commissary items for.
  • Select the "Purchase Commissary Items" option.
  • Follow the prompts on screen to purchase items for an inmate.
  • Maximum spend is $125.00.

For all information, tips and to see the hundreds of available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Pottawattamie County Jail, or to see how deposit money so that your inmate can purchase their own commissary, check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Pottawattamie County.


 

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

For inmates receiving mail in the Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County Jail:
INMATE'S NAME
Pottawattamie County Jail
1400 Big Lake Rd.
Council Bluffs, IA 51501


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 to send a text or email to an inmate in Pottawattamie County

To send and receive secure texts or emails from an inmate housed in Pottawattamie County follow these instructions:

  • Register and create an account with CIDNET.
  • Choose a Security PIN and Password.
  • After logging in, from the Menu, choose the state of Iowa, then the Pottawattamie County Jail, then your inmate's name.
  • Once you have completed this, the Pottawattamie County Jail will have to give final approval for you to communicate by email with your chosen inmate.

For all the information you need to know, including instructions, policies, tips and solutions to possible issues with Texting and Emailing an inmate in Pottawattamie County, visit our full page guide


 

How to Both Schedule a Visit and Have Remote Video Visitation with an Inmate incarcerated in Pottawattamie County

To register and sign up for a visitation account with CIDNET Video Visitation Service, follow the instructions below:

  • Register and create an account with CIDNET.
  • Type in your Email, Time Zone and First & Last Name of your Pottawattamie County Jail inmate.
    1. Click the Create Account button.
    2. Agree to the terms.
    3. Login to your email and open the verification email sent by CIDNET. Click it.
    4. Choose a Security PIN and a Password.
    5. Click the Sign In button.
  • After logging in, from the Menu, choose the state of Iowa, then the Pottawattamie County Jail, then your inmate's name.
  • Once you have completed this, the Pottawattamie County Jail will have to give final approval for you to set up a video visitation account with your inmate.

For all the information you need to know, including instructions, special links, policies, rules, tips and solutions to possible issues regarding regular visitation and remote video visits with an inmate in Pottawattamie County, visit our full page guide

NOTE: All visits are recorded. Whatever you talk about, can and will be used against your inmate in court. Never discuss their pending criminal case!
Also, be warned that CIDNET may be collecting voice prints for a database which they may be sharing with law enforcement agencies.


 

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

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

  • Register to create an account, or Log in to your account at Inmate Canteen if you already have one.
  • Select Iowa, then Pottawattamie County Jail, and then the inmate you wish to purchase commissary items for.
  • Select the "Purchase Commissary Items" option.
  • Follow the prompts on screen to purchase items for an inmate.
  • Maximum spend is $125.00.
  • NOTE: Pottawattamie County Jail may at times only allow online deposits for your inmate to purchase their own commissary locally. 

For all information, tips and to see the hundreds of available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Pottawattamie County Jail, or to see how deposit money so that your inmate can purchase their own commissary, check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Pottawattamie County.


 

Photos of this facility
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