Thurston County Jail & Sheriff Inmate Tablet Rental

Thurston County Jail & Sheriff

Address:
106 5th St
PO Box 370
Pender, NE 68047

Phone:

402-385-3018

Does Thurston County Jail & Sheriff have tablets for the inmates to use?

You can find information about the Thurston County Jail & Sheriff’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 402-385-3018 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.
 

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

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

  • Go to JailATM, choose Nebraska, then choose Thurston County Jail & Sheriff
  • Type in your inmate's last name or their Inmate ID.
  • Select your inmate, and then you will be prompted to Register with them to open an account.
  • Select the products you want shipped to them at Thurston County Jail & Sheriff, and then input your payment method. 
  • NOTE: There may be a limit on how much product you can send your inmate in Thurston County at any one time.
  • If you need to phone customer support, call 877-810-0914

For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages or sending money to an inmate in Thurston County Jail & Sheriff check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Thurston County.


 

How Does an Inmate Make Phone Calls in Thurston County Jail & Sheriff?

To receive phone calls from an inmate in Thurston County follow these instructions:

Thurston County Jail & Sheriff uses the services of NCIC for inmate phone calling. It is called a ‘friends & family account”.

In order to receive phone calls from your inmate, you need to do the following:

  • Register here, or by phone 800-943-2189
  • Choose Nebraska.
  • Choose Thurston County Jail & Sheriff
  • Select your Inmate.
  • Enter the phone number your Inmate will be calling.
  • Fund your Account. ($10-$100 at a time)

NOTE:
1.   You cannot receive any calls to your phone number from your inmate until both you and your phone number are registered.
2.  When you do receive a call, the number you will view on your phone from the incoming call is: 800-943-2189.
3.  When allowed by Thurston County Jail & Sheriff, families can also leave secure voicemails for inmates to listen to.

Fees

  • Adding funds to your account - $3.00 
  • Cost of phone call of a Prepaid Collect Account - $0.21 per minute
  • Cost of an interstate (ex. Nebraska to a different state) phone call NOT Prepaid - $0.25 per minute
  • Cost of an intrastate (ex. Nebraska to Nebraska) phone call NOT Prepaid - $0.25 per minute
  • Cost if you set up your account (or fund it) by phone using a live agent, you will be charged a one-time fee of $5.95.

NCIC Customer Service
Phone - 800-943-2189 or 903-247-0069
Email – [email protected]
Full list of participating jails.

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


 

How to Deposit Money Online for an Inmate in Thurston County

To deposit money online for an inmate in Thurston County Jail & Sheriff follow these steps:

  • Register to open an account, or Sign In to JailATM, a service that acts as a bank for inmates in Thurston County.
  • After registering and signing in, select 'Send Money Now'.
  • Choose Nebraska, then choose Thurston County Jail & Sheriff
  • Type in your inmate's last name or their Inmate ID.
  • Select your inmate.
  • Input an amount to deposit to your inmate in Thurston County Jail & Sheriff, and then input your payment method. 
  • NOTE: There may be a limit on how much money you can send your inmate in Thurston County at any one time.
  • If you need to phone customer support, call 877-810-0914.

For all information, tips and procedures for sending money to an inmate in Thurston County Jail & Sheriff, or depositing money at the jail, over the phone or by mail, check out our Send Money Page for Thurston County.


 

How to Have Remote Video Visits and 'At the Jail' Visits with an Inmate in Thurston County

To register and sign up for a remote visitation account with correctpay.com to communicate with your Thurston County Jail & Sheriff inmate, follow the instructions below:

Thurston County Jail & Sheriff uses the services of correctpay.com (aka JailFunds) for you to schedule and visit your inmate via remote video visitation.

You can ‘video visit’ your inmate one of three ways:

  • Visit from your home computer.
  • Visit from the correctpay VendEngine Kiosk in the Thurston County Jail & Sheriff lobby.
  • Visit by using the JailFunds iphone or Android app

Begin the process to schedule a visit:

  • Register by creating an account.
  • Add a payment method.
  • Select Nebraska
  • Select Thurston County Jail & Sheriff
  • Select your inmate
  • Schedule a visit.

24/7 Customer Service - 855-836-3364

For all the information on remote video visits and 'at the jail' visitation for Thurston County Jail & Sheriff, including fees, schedules, how it works and more, check out our Visit Inmate Page.


 

How to Send a Secure Email or Text Message to an Inmate in Thurston County

To send a secure email message and digital photos to an inmate in Thurston County Jail & Sheriff follow these steps:

  • Register with correctpay by creating an account.
  • Select Nebraska, then select Thurston County Jail & Sheriff, 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.
  • 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... So be careful what you write.
  • Uploading photos to Inmate’s email
    Make sure the file size is less than 5MB.
    Also make sure your file is a .jpg, .jpeg or .gif.

For all information on how to Text/Email an Inmate in Thurston County Jail & Sheriff and send them photos, check out our Secure Messaging Guide for Thurston County. 
24/7 Customer Service - 855-836-3364