Dawson County Jail Inmate Phone & Email

Dawson County Jail

Address:
709 North Grant
Lexington, NE 68850

Phone:

308-324-2279

Dawson County Jail uses CTEL Communications for Inmate Phone Use

Dawson County Jail uses CTEL Communications for their outgoing inmate phone calls.


In order to receive calls from your inmate you will need to:

  • Register with CTEL,
  • Open an account, 
  • Fund your acount,
  • Find, and sync with your inmate.

Rates

  • Phone calls can be billed to residential or business lines.
  • Toll charges are based on the actual usage of the network.
  • Billing charges accrue when the called party accepts the charges and confirms the call charges.
  • Positive acceptance is required for all calls.
  • The minimum billable duration is one minute.
  • Billable time is measured and rounded to the next higher full minute. 
  • Phone calls are terminated if the called party does not accept the call charges.
  • Customers are not billed for a 'no response'. 

Transaction Fees:

  • If paying through the Customer Portal Website: $3.00 per transaction
  • If paying with the assistance of a live operator: $5.95 per transaction

Minimum Deposit Amount
There is a $25.00 minimum for the first deposit.

Customer Service
Monday - Friday 8-5 PM CST
800-583-9683
Email: [email protected]

Inmate Phone Calling Services - Third Party Vendors that work with Jails

There are dozens of third-party for profit companies working with Dawson County Jail and other jails in Nebraska to provide a way for inmates to phone friends and families at rates that are much less than what jails have been known to charge in the past.

The lower rates come at a cost to inmates though, as most of the profit from these calls pay for other benefits such as television and both indoor and outdoor recreational services from board games to sports and workout equipment.

To find out what phone service is being used for inmates housed in Dawson County, call 308-324-2279, or if the phone service is not noted above, click on one of these companies below, each of which provide service for jails in the state of Nebraska:



 

How Does an Inmate make a call from Dawson County Jail?

Inmates at Dawson County Jail cannot receive phone calls from you, but they can make them as long as they have either a prepaid calling card number (which you need to purchase online or over the phone), or they have an account set up for them by you to either be able to call you direct to your phone or to be able to phone anyone they choose. Either Way, you have to fund these accounts.

With Inmate sales you can purchase up to three different types of phone service to be used between you and your inmate.
They are:

  • Direct Pay Accounts - Your inmate can use funds to call one specific phone number designated by you. You control everything.
  • PIN Debit Accounts - Your inmate can make calls to any phone number. They control everything but the funding.
  • Prepaid Calling Cards - Your inmate can call any phone number using the card, but they must have the calling card ID number to make calls.

You can set up your account and purchase the plan you want online or by calling 877-998-5678 and speaking to an agent.

iphone app
Google Play app

Can I call an inmate in the Dawson County Jail?

No, you cannot call an inmate in the Dawson County Jail. You can however call 308-324-2279, or search online to see if your inmate is in custody.

When an offender is first arrested and is being booked into jail, they are allowed one or two free phone calls to notify friends or family of their situation. If they are unable to notify someone at that point, they can try again, this time it will be a collect call that you will have to pay for if your phone service allows you to receive collect calls, once they are classified, processed, dressed and brought to their unit.

However, if the phone they call is a cell phone, which normally do not allow the receipt of collect calls, or your phone service does not allow for collect calls, then you will not be able to receive any phone calls from them until you purchase phone credits from the Dawson County Jail’s inmate calling system. 

The information for this is located above, at the top of this page. If that information is missing, it is because the facility recently changed companies and you can get the details by calling 308-324-2279.

Can I leave a message for an inmate in the Dawson County Jail?

It is rare that a jail (or prison) will accept messages for an inmate.  Of all the thousands of jails in the United States there are probably less than one hundred that have a message line.
There are two exceptions to this rule:

1.    Dawson County Jail will accept a message if there is a family emergency such as a death in the family. In a case like this the message will be conveyed by a jail chaplain or someone that is very high ranking in leadership. Inmates are already under a lot of stress and emotion, and the staff realizes this. It is for this reason they will be very careful how they pass the message along and being watchful afterwards.

2.    Many of the inmate phone systems used by jails allow for messages to be left for a small fee, usually less than $1.00 for a minute. It is done in the form of a voicemail from you. To see if Dawson County Jail offers that service call the phone company at the top of this page or call the jail at 308-324-2279.

Can an inmate in the Dawson County Jail call me?

Yes, an inmate in the Dawson County Jail can call you using any of the following three ways:

1.    The inmate can call you ‘collect’ if your phone service accepts collect calls.

2.    The inmate can call you using a prepaid calling card that they can purchase from the jail’s inmate commissary. 

3.    The inmate can call you using credits or money that you or someone else purchases from the jail’s inmate phone service. This information can be found at the top of this page.

If you can’t find the jail’s phone service, it means that they may have recently changed it. Call the jail at 308-324-2279 to get the information you need.

Also, it is becoming standard that when an inmate is booked in jail, they must make a list of a limited number of people that they will allow to visit them and/or make phone calls to. If the Dawson County Jail requires this, then you will have to be on their list to receive phone calls.

Can an inmate in the Dawson County Jail call their friends?

Yes. If a person is on the inmate’s approved phone contact list and the person accepts a collect call or the inmate has funds on their prepaid card or phone account, there are no restrictions based on whether the person and inmate are related or not.

The only exception to that is if you, as the person who funds their inmate phone account, puts restrictions on the account, so that the account can only be used to communicate with you and not other people. This allows you and not the Dawson County Jail to control who the inmate can speak with.

How do I accept collect calls from an inmate in the Dawson County Jail?

When you receive a collect call from a jail, you will first hear a recording that the call is a collect call and coming from a jail and the person’s spoken name. You will then be asked to respond with a prompt or by voicing “yes” that you agree to accept the call. At that point you can either accept it or refuse it.

If you continue to get calls from the jail and don’t want to receive them anymore, you can contact your phone service and request that that number be blocked.

How much am I charged for accepting a collect call from Dawson County Jail?

The cost of a collect call is the most expensive call that you can make (or take). In fact, the cost (per minute) for a collect call can exceed the cost of an international call.

Expect to pay about $1.00 to 1.50 per minute for a collect call. Compared to the cost of a call going through the inmate phone service that the jail contracts with, ‘collect calls’ can be five to ten times more expensive.

Who should I contact if I’m having difficulty receiving collect calls from the jail or prison?

If you are having difficulties receiving collect calls from the Dawson County Jail contact your own phone service.  Keep in mind that your land line service provider is not the same as your sell service provider.

How much does it cost for an inmate in the Dawson County Jail to call me?

The federal government limits the cost of a phone call from a jail in the United States to $0.21 per minute. This is true whether the inmate is using a prepaid card or one of their friends or family members have contracted with a phone service that the jail recommends.

In general, most of these companies are honest and trustworthy.  The complete list can be found by scrolling down this page further.

There are independent companies that you can find and purchase phone time from that have fees as low as $0.05 to $0.10 per minute.  They usually accomplish this by selling you blocks of time that you may never use, or they have exorbitant fees in other areas. Be a smart consumer and study these offers carefully.

What times are inmates in the Dawson County Jail allowed to make phone calls?

In general, inmates in the Dawson County Jail can make phone calls between the time when breakfast ends until ‘lights out’ at the end of the evening. 

They will not allow phone calls to be made during meals, head counts or during shift changes.

Inmates who are workers (trustees), are on work release or have other responsibilities are also limited to when they can make phone calls, as their schedules take priority over personal time.

In general, other than during the scheduled events noted above, you can communicate by phone between the hours of 7:30AM and 10:00PM.

How often can inmates in the Dawson County Jail make phone calls?

There is no limit to how often an inmate can make phone calls. They are limited only by how much money you are willing to give them to add phone time.

When and if there are limits, the limits never apply to phone time with their lawyer or legal matters related to their criminal court case.

There are some jails and prisons that limit how much an inmate can spend on phone calls, specifically inmates in the United States Bureau of Prisons, which limits federal prisoners to a $300 spend every month.

What is the inmate telephone service for the Dawson County Jail?

The inmate telephone service for this facility can be found at the top of this page. If the information is missing that means that the facility recently changed carriers and has not updated the information. In that case, call the jail at 308-324-2279 to get the answers to your questions.

What are the phone companies that facilitate phone calls with jails and prisons? 

Each of these phone companies provide similar services, and each cannot charge more than $0.021 per minute for domestic calls, however it is a very competitive industry due to the size of the market in which their customers are literally ‘captive’ in every sense of the word.

Amtel Phones
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
Correct Solutions Group
Correct Pay
Ctel
Gettingout
GTL
Homewav
ICSolutions
Inmate Canteen
Inmate Sales
Lattice (nexus telephone)
NCIC
Paytel
Prodigy Solutions
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Tiger

Can an inmate text me from the phones in the Dawson County Jail

No. Inmates in the Dawson County Jail cannot text from the phones, but more and more jails are bringing in a text service for inmates that can work from kiosks and tablets in their units. For more information, check out this jail’s email and text page.

Can an inmate in the Dawson County Jail buy calling cards?

Almost every jail gives inmates and their contacts to either purchase calling cards from commissary or buy phone credits and time online from a phone service. There remain a few jails that still only allow collect calls which is an unfair financial burden on inmates and their families.

To see if Dawson County Jail allows the purchase of phone cards, check the information at the top of this page or call the jail at 308-324-2279.

What is the most that an inmate in the Dawson County Jail can spend on phone calls?

There is no limit to how often an inmate can make phone calls. They are limited only by how much money you are willing to give them to add phone time.

There are some jails and prisons that limit how much an inmate can spend on phone calls, specifically inmates in the United States Bureau of Prisons, which limits federal prisoners to a $300 spend every month, however during the holiday months that number is increased to $400 per month.

Do I need a credit card to purchase phone credits for an inmate in the Dawson County Jail?

Of the dozens of phone companies listed above that do business with the jails and prisons, there are only a few that have a way for you to use cash to purchase phone credits or phone time from them, usually in an ATM machine at check cashing outlets, and only a couple that have a way for you to fund an inmate phone account by mailing them a money order or cashier check.

If you don’t have a credit or debit card from a bank, you can always get a prepaid one at thousands of check cashing locations across the country.

Most jails also have a way for inmates to purchase prepaid phone cards from their commissary. These jails usually allow the inmate’s trust account to be funded with postal money orders, negating the need for having a credit or debit card altogether. 

Call 308-324-2279 to see if your Dawson County Jail’s commissary has prepaid phone cards.

What is the difference between a phone call and a video call?

A video call is no different than a video visit. It allows both the inmate and their approved contacts to see each other during the conversation. This is becoming the preferred method for inmates and their friends and family members to communicate, as visual contact communicates on a different level than just the voice.

Jails and prisons that have the option of video calls and video visits also most likely have handheld tablets for inmate use. This gives the inmate the ability to communicate from their cell or a remote corner of the unit, which adds a level of privacy that a kiosk on the wall does not offer.

To see if Dawson County Jail offers video calls, go to the top of this page or the Visitation page for information. If you can’t find it there, it may be because this facility recently changed companies, so you can call them at 308-324-2279 for details on how to arrange video calls.

Can inmates in the Dawson County Jail use their cell phone?

No, they cannot use their cell phone. 

Inmates have their cell phones taken from them when they are initially booked into jail and will not get them back until they are released, provided the phone is/was not kept by the arresting agency as evidence in a criminal investigation.

Is it illegal for an inmate to use a cell phone in the Dawson County Jail?

Cell phones are considered contraband and a security risk to a jail or prison. All communication: Written, spoken or video, other than an inmate’s communication with their lawyer, are monitored by the facility.

If an inmate is caught with a cell phone that has somehow been smuggled into a jail, the inmate will be charged with a crime. It is considered more serious than being caught with drugs, as a cell phone can be used to intimidate potential witnesses, arrange an escape or run a criminal enterprise outside of the jail’s walls.

Can I get in trouble for accepting a call from an inmate using a cell phone in the Dawson County Jail?

It is unlikely that you can get charged with a crime for communicating with an inmate using a cell phone while incarcerated in the Dawson County Jail.

That said, if it is found that you knowingly were doing it, you could have your visitation or phone privileges suspended, or even permanently terminated by the jail.

If you were involved in the smuggling of the phone, that is a criminal offense, as it may be if you were adding ‘minutes’ onto a prepaid phone that you knew was smuggled into the jail and was being used for illegal purposes.

Communicating by Email with an Inmate

Dawson County Jail uses the services of Visitel for Emailing between inmates and their friends and family members.
Register and/or log in here:

Important Tips About Jail Phone Calls

If you were unable to find the information you were looking for on this page, call Dawson County Jail at 308-324-2279 and ask their policies on getting phone calls from your inmate.

Many jails and prisons are increasingly restricting the amount of time that an inmate can use the phone by placing daily and monthly limits, so try to pace yourself and not use up all your time at the beginning of the month.

Jails limit an inmate's phone time to certain hours of the day, so it is important you keep a regular schedule that works for both you and your inmate.

If your inmate does not call you during the time you both have scheduled, don't panic. There are often long lines for phone use. When a jail is on lockdown due to a fight or other security issue they do not allow the phones to be used.

Phones are the only way for an inmate to hear your voice and temporarily 'escape' the loneliness of incarceration, so use your time well. Arguing about anything will leave you both feeling empty and guilty, so avoid it at all costs.

All phone conversations 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 some phone providers are collecting voice prints for a database which law enforcement agencies are building.

Go to the official jail website for additional information. 

How to Schedule and Visit an Inmate in Dawson County Jail

To schedule and set up a visit, either at-the-jail or remotely from your home, follow these instructions:

  • Register and/or log in.
  • Select Dawson County Jail, then your inmate.
  • Review the days, available hours and the cost of remote and on-site visits in Dawson County.
  • Schedule your visit.

To get more complete instructions, and understand visit lengths, times, locations, fees and all the other rules including children, dress codes and more, check out or Visit Inmate Page.
NOTE: All visits are recorded and whatever you say and do will be monitored. It is best to never discuss sensitive information regarding your inmate's pending case.


 

How to Send a Secure Email Message to an Inmate in Dawson County

To send a secure email message to an inmate in Dawson County Jail follow these steps:

  • Register with Inmate Sales, the company that handles inmate messaging in Dawson County, by creating an account.
  • Select Nebraska, then select Dawson County Jail, and then the inmate you want to send your message to.
  • Choose the amount of money you want to spend, and input your payment method. The funds can also be used by the inmate to send a message back to you.
  • If you want to pay by phone, call 877-998-5678.
  • NOTE: All messages between you and your inmate will be permanently recorded and seen by the staff and could be used against your inmate in court.

-  Chirping is the product name for inmate texting.  
-  This product allows Dawson County inmates to send chirps (texts) to friends and family members.
-  Inmates will be charged a monthly service fee of $4.00.
-  Inbound and Outbound Chirps are $0.10 each.

Inmate Sales Apps

iphone app
Google Play app

For all information on how to Text/Email an Inmate in Dawson County Jail check out our Secure Messaging Guide for Dawson County.


 

How Do Inmates in Dawson County Jail Make Phone Calls?

To receive phone calls from inmates in Dawson County, or to assist them in making phone calls to other people, follow these steps:

  • Dawson County Jail uses the services of a company named Inmate Sales.
  • Register with them online or call them at 877-998-5678
  • Agents are available M-F from 8:00 AM - 12:00 midnight EST, Saturdays from 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM, and speak both English & Spanish.
  • Services for Dawson County inmates and their families and friends include: Collect Calling, PIN Debit, Purchasing Calling Cards, Deposits, Messaging & Video Visitation.

iphone app
Google Play app

For all the information regarding phone calls with Dawson County inmates; rules, policies, phone calling times, limits and more visit our Inmate Phone Page.


 

How to Send a Text or Email Message to an Inmate in Dawson County Jail

To send a text or email message to a Dawson County inmate, do the following:

Dawson County Jail uses VISITEL for Inmate Email.

Register here. 
Steps: 
1.  Sign up for Messaging services.
2. Find your Dawson County inmate.
3. Set up a payment method.
4. Type & Send message.

For all Dawson County information for sending secure messages to an inmate in Dawson County Jail, including instructions, video examples, fees, limits, tablet rentals and more, check out out Text/Email an Inmate Page.
NOTE: Use caution when writing your inmate. Try not to discuss strategies regarding their case. All messages can be shared with the Dawson County prosecutor.


 

How to Schedule and Visit an Inmate in Dawson County Jail

To schedule and set up a visit, either at-the-jail or remotely from your home, follow these instructions:

  • Register and/or log in.
  • Select Dawson County Jail, then your inmate.
  • Review the days, available hours and the cost of remote and on-site visits in Dawson County.
  • Schedule your visit.

To get more complete instructions, and understand visit lengths, times, locations, fees and all the other rules including children, dress codes and more, check out or Visit Inmate Page.
NOTE: All visits are recorded and whatever you say and do will be monitored. It is best to never discuss sensitive information regarding your inmate's pending case.


 

How do Inmates in Dawson County Jail Make Phone Calls?

To receive phone calls from inmates in Dawson County, or to assist them in making phone calls to other people, follow these steps:

  • Register with CTEL, the phone system Dawson County inmates must use.
  • Open an account, 
  • Fund your acount,
  • Find, and then sync with your inmate.

Rates

  • Rates cannot exceed $0.21 per minute for regular calls and $0.25 per minute for collect calls.
  • The minimum billable duration is one minute.
  • Billable time is measured and rounded to the next higher full minute. 
  • Phone calls are terminated if the called party does not accept the call charges.
  • Customers are not billed for a 'no response'. 

Transaction Fees:

  • If paying through the Customer Portal Website: $3.00 per transaction
  • If paying with the assistance of a live operator: $5.95 per transaction

Minimum Deposit Amount
There is a $25.00 minimum for the first deposit.

Customer Service
Monday - Friday 8-5 PM CST
800-583-9683 
Email: [email protected]

For full information about using CTEL to communicate by phone with your Dawson County inmate, visit our Inmate Phone Page. You will find information about Inmate Phone schedules, rates, rules, policies, and tips. Please note that all of your phone calls will be recorderd and any information about your inmate's case that you speak about could be used against him in court.