Bergen County Jail Visitation Changes Due to Coronavirus

Info Visits Mail Phone Money Bail Inmate Search Email Tablets Remote Visits Commissary Court Booking Photos Court Process Video Nearby Jails

Bergen County Jail

Address:
160 South River Street
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Phone:
201-336-3500

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

Because of concerns for the safety and wellness of both staff and inmates at the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, New Jersey, 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 201-336-3567 for updates.

Video Visitation at Bergen County Jail

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

We highly recommend that you call 201-336-3567 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 Bergen County, the state of New Jersey 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 Bergen 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:

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

Bergen County Jail Inmate Mail Guidelines

Postcards
The Bergen 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 Bergen County Jail also allows envelopes to be mailed to inmates.

Postcards and envelopes MUST be mailed to the following address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID
Bergen County Jail
P.O. Box 0369
Hackensack, N.J. 07601-0369

Legal Mail

Send all legal Mail to this Address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID
Bergen County Jail
P.O. Box 0369
Hackensack, N.J. 07601-0369

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 Bergen County Jail allows books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address below.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Bergen 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 newspapers, magazines and books are to be shipped to:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID
Bergen County Jail
P.O. Box 0369
Hackensack, N.J. 07601-0369

How to Deposit Money in an Inmate's Trust Account in Order to Purchase Prepaid Calling Cards, Phone Calling Time or Commissary

To Deposit Money in an inmate's account follow these steps:

Create a ConnectNetwork account
Select your inmate, and add to them to your account,
Deposit money into his or her commissary account.

**NOTE** GTL is in a transition merging into a new company called ViaPath Technologies.

Features:

Deposit options available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via phone 877-650-4249, and online.
Mobile-friendly deposit options are available via their app.
Deposits and payments made through automated channels (ConnectNetwork Website, Mobile App, Toll Free Phone, or Kiosk at the jail) are transmitted to the facility within one business day.
Deposits that are mailed are processed the next business day after they are received by GTL.
Inmate can choose how to spend the funds you deposit.

All the information you need to understand depositing money into an inmate's trust fund, specifically for phone calls, but also for Commissary, in Bergen County, can be found on our Send Money Page.

How Do You Communicate with an Inmate in the Bergen County Jail by Phone

Follow these instructions on how to open an account with GTL Connect Network (aka Viapath Technologies)

Advance Pay - This phone account allows you to prepay so that your inmate can call you (and only you) whenever he/she wants and the cost of each call is deducted from your balance. You can even be notified by text when your balance gets low. You still have the option of accepting or rejecting each call.
Pin Debit - This option allows you to fund an inmate's commissary account and lets him pay for phone calls to you and others with the money. You will have no control over who your inmate calls.
Voicemail - You can leave a secure voicemail without having to contact the facility. When you call the local phone number for a facility offering Inmate Voicemail (call Customer Service at 877-650-4249 to get the local voicemail number for Bergen County Jail, you will be informed of the cost for leaving a message. To leave your message, simply select the inmate by ID number. Then, record your voicemail.

For full instructions on the Bergen County Jail Inmate Phone System, what the costs are, how it works, and tips and guidelines on rules, regulations and saving money on calls, check out our Inmate Phones Page.

Depositing Money for Communicating with an Inmate

How to Make a Deposit for Phone, Email or Visitation using GettingOut.com

Bergen County Jail uses GettingOut for some or all of its communication services with an inmate.

If you want to deposit money using this company for your use or your inmate's account, there are four ways to do it:

Online - They accept all major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
At the Bergen County Jail using the kiosk in the jail lobby - (cash, debit or credit card) NOTE - Bergen County Jail may require identity verification so bring your driver’s license or some other form of ID.
By phone by calling 866-516-0115 - They have bi-lingual operators are standing by 24 hours 7 days a week to assist you with your deposit. Major credit cards accepted are Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
By using their app, either Android or iphone. - All credit cards mentioned above are accepted.

For all the information you need to know, including tips, guidelines and warnings about depositing money in a Bergen County Jail inmate's account for communication services, check out our Send Money page.

How Inmates Can Use a Tablet to Access Services at Bergen County Jail

To find out how to get access to a tablet for inmate read the following:

1. First, Register or Sign In to GettingOut/GTL

2. Purchase the services you want for your Bergen County Jail inmate.
3. All inmates have free access to the tablets to read their letters from family & friends, but there are many other services available to keep your inmate busy while incarcerated... such as Games, Books, Music and Movies. These other services come with fees that you can pay for when you pay for phone service.

To learn more about Tablet Rentals for inmates, including the cost, all the services available and everything else you need to know, check out our Tablet Rental Page.

How to Communicate with an Bergen County Jail Inmate by Mail and by Email

To mail or email an inmate in Bergen County follow these steps:

When mailing a letter or postcard to an inmate, please follow these instructions:

All mail sent to an inmate at the Bergen County Jail must include the sender's name and mailing address in the top left corner of the envelope or postcard.
All mail must include the facility's address, as well as the inmate's name and assigned number.
Failure to include your return address will most likely result in your mail NOT being delivered and your letter destroyed.
The Bergen County Jail has a zero-tolerance policy regarding mail violations.
All the information you need to understand mail and email policies can be found on our Inmate Mail Page and our Text/Email an Inmate Page.

Emailing Messages & Photos

Facility_name_1} contracts with GTL GettingOut, the same service that handles iInmate Phone Systems and Video Visitation, for sending secure messages and photos between you and your inmate.

If you are not already registered, do so here, or Log in.

Then use the Facility Finder to:
1. Select Bergen County Jail,
2. Add your inmate to your list of contacts,
3. Add a credit or debit card to cover your costs.

Messages can be up to 500 characters long, including punctuation. At the bottom of your message there is a 'character countdown' feature.
After you click the “CONTINUE” button, you can review the cost to send your message to your inmate. You can also attach credits for your inmate to reply to your message. Be sure to accept the Terms and Conditions and click the “SEND” button for your message to be successfully delivered to your inmate.
You can also send your Bergen County inmate photos and videos.

Customer Service Questions
'Online' Contact Form, or
Call 866-516-0115

Go here to this FAQ to get answers to how the transition to ViaPath from GTL and gettingout will affect your account.

All the information you need to understand mail and email policies for Bergen County can be found on our Inmate Mail Page and our Text/Email an Inmate Page.

How Do You Visit an Inmate in Bergen County Jail?

To visit an inmate in Bergen County, whether by video or in person 'at the jail', follow these steps:

Other than 'at the jail' visits between you and your inmate, which is explained and outlined in detail on our Visit Inmate Page, Bergen County remote video inmate visitation can be done using the services of GettingOut.

There are three ways to remotely visit your inmate in Bergen County Jail:
1. Using the GettingOut Kiosk at the jail.
2. Using your computer from home.
3. Using your phone on the GettingOut apps.

To remotely visit an inmate in Bergen County follow these steps:
1. Start by confirming that Bergen County Jail's Video Visitation is working correctly by looking up Bergen County here.
2. The next step is to create an account here for GettingOut.
3. Then add funds to your account.
4. Last, select Bergen County Jail, and then the inmate you wish to communicate with.

Other Bergen County Services provided by GettingOut:
- Phone Calls & Voicemail
- Email, Photo & Video Sharing
- Inmate Tablet Rental
- Deposits

Customer Service
If you have any questions about the Bergen County Jail Visitation Services you can call them at 866-516-0115.
Frequently Asked Questions

* All the information you need to have complete knowledge about inmate visitation; policies, rules, fees, schedules, tips, dress codes, and children, lawyers and clergy visitation in Bergen County, can be found on our Visit Inmate Page.

Bergen County Jail Phone: 201-336-3500

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

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

Select New Jersey, then select Bergen County Jail, and then select the 'Send a Package Order' option.
Register and create an account with Access Securepak, for Bergen County.
Choose the inmate and 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 Bergen County at any one time.

For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Bergen County Jail check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Bergen County.