Address:
709 North Grant
Lexington, NE 68850
Phone:
308-324-2279
The information below provides complete instructions regarding the Dawson County Jail:
Follow these instructions exactly to help ensure that your inmate has access to commissary, and in some cases medical and bail money, as soon as possible.
Dawson County Jail staff announced today that deposits for inmates must either be made online, by telephone, by using the Kiosk in their lobby or by sending postal money orders or bank cashier checks to the following address:
709 North Grant
Lexington, NE 68850
or
709 North Grant
Lexington, NE 68850
Instructions on how inmate deposits can be made online or by telephone can be found by scrolling down this page.
In certain circumstances, cash may still be accepted by jail personnel during 9:00AM and 4:00PM, Monday thru Friday, or when you come to the facility for visitation. Call 308-324-2279 if you have any questions.
Complete information is listed on this page. Failure to follow instructions will result in your payment not being credited properly, or being returned to you.
How to Put Money on an Inmate Account in the Dawson County Jail
There are usually four options for putting money on an inmate's books:
Option 1 - Dropping Money at the Jail
Bring money to the jail in person.
Either the jail personnel will process the Inmate Account payment or you will use a self-serve kiosk in the lobbies that accepts cash, debit or credit cards.
Option 2 - Deposit Inmate Money Online
Dawson County Jail and others often use a private company to process all online deposits to an inmate's account. The company charges you a small fee for doing so, but the fee probably isn't as much as gas and parking would cost to take it to the jail in person.
Option 3 - Mail the Inmate Deposit to the Jail
Mailing a deposit takes more time to process than the other methods but can be done if you live too far away to bring it in person and you don't have a debit/credit card for online deposits. Never send cash. Always send a Money Order from the US Post Office, a reputable bank or Western Union.
Make the Money Order out to the inmate's name and put their Inmate ID# in memo section of the Money Order.
Call Dawson County Jail at 308-324-2279 to confirm the address to send the money order to and how they want it made out.
Failure to do this properly will delay your inmate getting his account credited and may require you to have to resubmit a second money order.
Call 308-324-2279 to ask facility personnel who to make the money order out to, and where to send it.
Option 4 - Make an Inmate Deposit over the Phone
Most of the online companies that provide deposit services will accept deposits over the phone with a debit or credit card.
To do this you will need the inmate's offender # (inmate ID #) and full legal name.
Inmate Care Packages
Dawson County Jail may have contracted with a third party Commissary care package company that ships predetermined Care Packages of candy and snacks.
These can be ordered by you online and are delivered directly to the inmate. Call 308-324-2279 to confirm if you don't see the information on this page.
What can an Inmate Purchase through Commissary?
People who have never been to jail would be surprised by the large amount of candy, snacks, art supplies, playing cards, hygiene products and clothing that can be purchased through this jail's commissary.
The Dawson County Jail Commissary Instructions and Information can be found on this page. If you need more information contact the jail by calling 308-324-2279.
Who Can Put Money in an Inmate's Account?
Anybody can contribute to an inmate's books or commissary fund as long as there isn't a no-contact order in place.
Because of the ability for family members and friends to deposit money online using a credit or debit card, jail inmates can now receive funds from anywhere in the world.
WHY DOES AN INMATE NEED MONEY IN THEIR ACCOUNT AT THE Dawson County Jail?
Since inmates are not allowed to possess cash money while in custody in the Dawson County Jail, the jail maintains a 'bank account' for the inmate to purchase products and services from their commissary (canteen) store.
Commissary funds allow inmates to purchase items such as personal hygiene products, snacks and stationery supplies from the jail store.
Inmates can use money from their account to purchase phone time credits or prepaid phone cards in order to make outside phone calls to friends and family members.
Many jails also allow an inmate to bail himself out of jail if he has the funds in his account. The bail amount is typically 10-15% of the bond amount set by the court.
Inmate accounts are also used to pay the co-payment for medication and visits to the jail's medical clinic should they become ill.
Medical Copays, Jail Fees and other Inmate Expenses
Many jails debit (charge) an inmate's commissary accounts for medical visits, any medications including over-the-counter pain reliever, jail stay fees, restitution, etc.
Taking this into consideration when deciding how much to deposit will ensure the inmate gets the amount you wanted him to have after things are deducted.
A quick call to the Dawson County Jail at 308-324-2279 will let you know how much is deducted from the books for each fee related to medical issues or other jail expenses.
Important Tips
Sometimes an inmate's commissary money is used to purchase items to pay gambling debts or purchase prescription medicine from another inmate. If your inmate is spending more than $10.00 a day on commissary items, you are most likely paying for him or her to gamble or buy drugs.
Some inmates, specifically those who are targeted for being weak or are in jail for rape or child molestation, are forced to relinquish their commissary to avoid regular beatings from other inmates.
If you think your inmate is being targeted for violence or having their commissary taken to avoid beatings, contact the Dawson County Jail and ask to investigate. If an inmate is being targeted, most jails will intervene and have the victim placed in protective custody, away from the general population.
Put your financial needs first and the inmate's second. Don't forget, the inmate is getting three free 2,000 calorie meals a day. The food may not be of the highest quality, but the commissary food is generally much less nutritious.
To schedule and set up a visit, either at-the-jail or remotely from your home, follow these instructions:
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.
To send a secure email message to an inmate in Dawson County Jail follow these steps:
- 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.
To receive phone calls from inmates in Dawson County, or to assist them in making phone calls to other people, follow these steps:
For all the information regarding phone calls with Dawson County inmates; rules, policies, phone calling times, limits and more visit our Inmate Phone Page.
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.
To schedule and set up a visit, either at-the-jail or remotely from your home, follow these instructions:
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.
To receive phone calls from inmates in Dawson County, or to assist them in making phone calls to other people, follow these steps:
Rates
Transaction Fees:
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.
