Oakland County Jail COVID-19 Coronavirus Visitation Policy

Oakland County Jail

Address:
1201 North Telegraph
Pontiac, MI 48341

Phone:

248-858-1800

New Visitation Policies in Oakland County Jail Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus

Because of concerns for the safety and wellness of both staff and inmates at the Oakland County Jail in Pontiac, Michigan, contact visits of any type may be suspended. Even if they have visits, from time to time, face masks may be required.

Approved Non-contact visits with family, friends and the inmate’s lawyers may still be allowed when at-home or onsite video visitation is not available, however given that new guidelines are changing daily please check the visitation page or call 248-858-1800 for updates.

Video Visitation at Oakland County Jail

At-home and onsite video visitation guidelines for Oakland County Jail, when this service is available, can be found by going to the visitation information page.

We highly recommend that you call 248-858-1800 first for any changes due to staff shortages or other unforeseen circumstances, including whether your inmate has become ill and is unable to be in the general population where video kiosks are available.

How Long Will These Changes Last?

Experts in the study of the COVID-19 are anticipating that spread of the virus will be a ongoing concern for Oakland County, the state of Michigan and the entire United States until well into 2024 and maybe even beyond. We are witnessing the virus becoming more contagious, but less deadly over time. Many people think that the 'more contagious, but less deadly' variants will infect so many people that a higher level of natural immunity for the majority of Americans will be the end result.

Will the Inmates in Oakland County Jail Be Safe from Getting Sick With COVID-19 Coronavirus?

Whether the inmates are safe from contracting the coronavirus depends entirely on two things:

  1. The Virus being introduced into the facility by a staff member or inmate who is unaware that they have it.
  2. How easily it spreads.

At this stage most people who get the coronavirus show very few symptoms beyond what you might experience with a bad cold or a mild case of the common flu. Newer variants are turning out to be less deadly than the common flu we experience every year.

Studies that have been done are showing that the hardest hit are those 60 years of age and older, those with pre-existing medical issues like diabetes, leukemia or obese individuals. Young men and women rarely become very ill, and when they do, seem to recover quickly.

Given the close proximity of inmates and staff to each other in this lockup, it is going to be very difficult to prevent the spread of COVID-19 once it is introduced into the facility as the virus can spread via the microscopic vapor that we release every time we speak, cough or sneeze.

We will continuously update this page as the virus changes and new policies are instituted.

Oakland County Jail Gives Inmates Access to Tablets At No Cost for Communication, Research and Entertainment

They may not be directly connected to the internet, but inmates at Oakland County Jail are provided free tablets to use within the jail that allow them to have access to the following services and information:

  • Phone Calls - Inmates may make calls directly from their tablet allowing for more privacy. The rates are the same as the phones in the unit, and the calls are still recorded and monitored.
  • eMessaging - Communicate via a text based message or picture. Fee based system.
  • Job Search - Using JobView, a secure job search application, inmates have the ability to see what jobs are available when they are released.
  • Education - Free educational platform and course catalog that provides thousands of educational resources.
  • Self Help -Inmates have daily access to mental health and addiction recovery programming.
  • Music - Top-40, Hip-Hop, Country, Rock, Gospel, and more.
  • Law Library -  Legal research with up-to-date case information.
  • eBooks - Thousands of available titles.
  • Religion - Religious resources for spiritual guidance.
  • Games - Inmates can play their favorite games. Available through monthly subscriptions
  • Facility Services - Digital access to submitted forms, requests, facility documents, and notifications from staff.
  • Video Visitation - Visitation may not be allowed on the Tablets.  Call Oakland County Jail at 248-858-1800 to confirm.

The availability of tablets may seem like something that inmates who are serving time do not deserve, but here are some of the benefits for inmates in Oakland County:

  • Keeps inmates busy.
  • The threat of losing access to tablets keeps them better behaved.
  • Safer for the staff to keep inmates happy.
  • Allows communication with family members.
  • Educational programming.
  • Legal research.
  • Social programming such as anger management, substance abuse, etc.

For more information about Tablets and how your inmate can get one to use while he is in jail, chek out our Inmate Tablet page.


 

How to Schedule & Visit with an Inmate in Oakland County Jail

To schedule a visit and meet with an inmate in Oakland County, either at-the-jail or remotely by video, follow these instructions:

  • To schedule and visit with an inmate you MUST first open a SmartJailMail.com account.
  • Once you open an account, you may search for Oakland County inmate to visit with.
  • When you locate the Oakland County inmate that you want to connect with, you can send them a connection request.
  • Oakland County Jail will then need to approve the request before you can send messages.

For all the information you need to schedule and visit with a Oakland County Jail inmate, including how it works, how much it costs, visitation using a rented tablet, how often and when you can visit and more, check out our Visit Inmate Page.
NOTE: Your visits will be monitored, recorded and stored. You may want to refrain from discussing your inmate's court case as anything discussed can be used against them in court.


 

Oakland County Jail Inmate Mail Types

Postcards
The Oakland 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 Oakland County Jail also allows regular postcards and envelopes to be mailed to inmates as well.

Personal postcards and envelopes MUST be mailed to the following address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate Number
OAKLAND COUNTY JAIL
PO BOX 9103
SEMINOLE, FL 33775-9103


Legal Mail
Legal Mail is mail from Attorneys, law enforcement, the courts, bail companies, etc.

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 Oakland 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 above.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Oakland 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 legal mail, newspapers, magazines and books are to be shipped to:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate Number
OAKLAND COUNTY JAIL
PO BOX 436017
PONTIAC, MI 48343


 

How to Set up a Phone Account and Receive Calls from an Inmate in Oakland County Jail

To communicate by telephone with a Oakland County inmate, follow these instructions:

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

For all the information you need to receive phone calls from a Oakland County Jail inmate, including how it works, how much it costs, how often you can receive calls and when you can receive them and more, check out our Inmate Phone Page.
NOTE: Your phone calls will be monitored and stored. You may want to refrain from discussing your inmate's court case. Anything discussed on the calls may be used in your inmate's court case.


 

How to Deposit Money in an Inmate's Account in Oakland County Jail

To deposit money into the account of a Oakland County inmate, follow these instructions:

  • To deposit money you MUST first open a SmartJailMail.com account.
  • Once you open an account, you may search for the Oakland County inmate you want to send money.
  • When you locate the Oakland County inmate that you want to connect with, you can send them money.
  • Oakland County Jail may need to approve the deposit, but more than likely, it will be approved.

For all the information you need to send money to a Oakland County Jail inmate, including how it works, how much it costs, what payment methods you can use, how much you can send, and more, check out our Send Money Page.


 

How to Send and Receive Secure Text and Email Messages with an Inmate in Oakland County Jail

To communicate by text or email with an Oakland 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 Oakland County inmates or detainees to connect with.
  • When you locate the Oakland County inmate that you want to connect with, you can send them a connection request.
  • Oakland 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 Oakland 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 Oakland County

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

  • Register here to create an account with icaregifts for Oakland County.
  • Choose Michigan, then Oakland County Jail, and then 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 Oakland County at any one time.
  • There are a total of fourteen (14) pre-determined icaregift packs available to choose from. 
  • The gift packs for inmates in Oakland County range in price from $10.49 for ten pre-stamped envelopes, 2 pens and a pad of writing paper, to $104.99 for a box of 85 snack and food items.

For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Oakland County Jail, as well as sending money to the inmate so that they can purchase their own items, check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Oakland County.


 

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