Erie County Jail - Holding Center, NY Bail & Bonds

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Erie County Jail - Holding Center

Address:
40 Delaware Ave
Buffalo, NY 14202
Phone:
716-858-7638

How do Bail Bonds work at Erie County Jail - Holding Center

Cash bails will be accepted for the city, towns, and village courts 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

Who do I call to find out the Bond for an Inmate?

Please call the jail at 716-858-7638 for the type of bond and any information that is required for a particular individual at Erie County Jail - Holding Center.
A bond is set according to a court-approved schedule.
The purpose of the bond is to assure the offender's appearance in court.

Instructions on how to post Bail or Bond in Erie County

Because Erie County and New York can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Erie County Jail - Holding Center at 716-858-7638, or the court in the jurisdiction (i.e. Municipal Court, District Court, etc.) where the offender was charged, right after an arrestee has been booked.

Ask the staff at the Erie County Jail - Holding Center or the Erie County Court Clerk these specific questions:

Is the defendant eligible for bail or a bond?
How much will the bail or bond be, and what are the additional fees?
Where do I go to pay it?
Are there any days or times of the day or night when I cannot post bail?
What types of payment are allowed? Cash? Money order? Credit card? What types of credit cards? Property or other collateral? Surety bonds?
Do I have to use a bail or bond agent?

If you feel the bail is too high and you wish to get it reduced, contact a lawyer or the defendant's public defender and get them to look into what they can do to get a bail reduction. The sooner you get working on this the quicker you will get your loved one released.

This entire process will go smoother and faster with a criminal attorney or bail agent handling it for you.

Option 1 - How to Post Bail using Cash for a Defendant at Erie County Jail - Holding Center

The first option, a cash bond, is to pay the full bail amount in cash, cashier's check, or money order. Personal Checks are not accepted.

Depending on the crime, this amount could be anywhere from $100 to $75,000 or more.

To pay a cash bond, go to Erie County Jail - Holding Center or to the court where the bail hearing occurred. Going directly to the jail will quicken the release of the defendant as any bail paperwork processed at the court will have to be transferred to the jail.

Cashier's Checks and Money Orders may be made out to Erie County Jail - Holding Center where the defendant is being held, but usually to the Erie County Sheriff's Office or to the Erie County Court.

To purchase money orders visit any Western Union, Moneygram or Post Office.

Option 2 - How to Post a Private or Surety Bond for a Defendant at Erie County Jail - Holding Center

In the event that someone does not have the full bond amount available to him or her, there is what is called a private bond or surety bond.

This is an agreement made with a bail agent or bondsman who will post the full bail amount. In return, the defendant and/or cosigner will pay a premium to the bail agent. This premium will be 10-15% of the full bail amount.

For example, if bail is posted at $5,000, then the premium will cost approximately $500-$750.

A bail agent will often require some form of collateral, for example, a lien on a house, a car or jewelry. This is to ensure that if the defendant skips bail, or does not appear in court, the bail agent has some sort of compensation for the full bail amount being paid.

Remember, by making an agreement with a bail agent the signatory takes responsibility for paying the full bail amount if the defendant does not appear in court.

Option 3 - How to Post a Property Bond for a Defendant at Erie County Jail - Holding Center

If you are a landowner in Erie County you may be able to post a property bond. Property within Erie County may be used as collateral to bail someone out. All owners of the property must be present to sign the bond in order for this to happen.

To find if property located outside of Erie County can be used as collateral, call a local bail or bond agent or contact a defense lawyer.

Click here for additional information on how to post bail at Erie County Jail - Holding Center.

Who can post Bail or Bond for a Defendant at Erie County Jail - Holding Center?

Anyone over the age of 18 who can produce a valid government-issued photo ID can post bail. Accepted forms of ID include a Photo Driver's License, Passport, or Motor Vehicle issued ID.

In many circumstances, if the defendant has the resources, they can post their own cash bail from jail.

Surety Bonds are arranged by a third party, typically a New York state licensed Bail Bond firm.

Juveniles may only be bailed or bonded out of custody by a parent or legal guardian.

Erie County Justice System Flowchart

When will the Cash Bail or Collateral be returned to me?

Money or collateral will not be returned until the defendant's court case is finished, so realistically it could take several months to years, depending on the severity of the charges. If a defendant posts his or her own bail, Erie County Court may retain whatever amount of fines or fees have accumulated throughout the trial.

What happens to my Bail or Collateral if the Defendant misses Court?

The Erie County Judge may order a failure to appear warrant for the person's arrest or the Judge may order a Bail Commissioner's Letter be issued that will be sent to the person with a new court date.

If cash bail was paid, the entire amount may be forfeited.

Erie County Jail - Holding Center Inmate Mail Policies and Address - What Can You Send, and Where?

For inmates receiving mail in the Erie County Jail - Holding Center there are different addresses and policies depending on the inmate's status, as well as what type of mail they are receiving; personal mail, legal mail, subscriptions or books sent from a third-party such as Amazon.

All mail is to be shipped to the Erie County Jail - Holding Center:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate's name and ICN # (on the inmate's bracelet)
Erie County Holding Center
40 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, New York 14202

For complete information on mail policies, what you can send an inmate and what address to send them, check out our Inmate Mail page.

Erie County Jail - Holding Center may now offer IC Solutions Tablet Rentals to their inmates.

IC Solutions is the same company that handles inmate phone systems, video visitations, email and texting and digital letters.

The tablets can be rented on a monthly basis and while not directly connected to the internet, the inmates can use them for the following activities:

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.
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.

Here's how it works:

Register here. It is recommended you use Chrome or Firefox.
Pay for the subscription.
You get charged the 1st of each month.
You get charged a full month even if it's only used for a partial month.
No activation or early termination fees.
Your inmate will recieve their tablet in 3-5 business days, after you pay.

For more information about IC Solutions and theiur tablet program, including availability, price, benefits and more, check out our Inmate Tablet page.

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

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

Select New York, then select Erie County Jail - Holding Center, and then select the 'Send a Package Order' option.
Register and create an account with Access Securepak, for Erie 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 Erie County at any one time.

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

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Erie County

To send commissary money to an inmate in Erie County Jail - Holding Center follow these steps:

Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
Select New York, then select Erie County Jail - Holding Center, and then the inmate you want to send money to.
Choose the amount of money you want to send, and input your payment method.

For all information on how to Send Money to an inmate's account check out our full money and commissary guide for Erie County Jail - Holding Center.

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

To send a secure email message to an inmate in Erie County Jail - Holding Center follow these steps:

Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
Select New York, then select Erie County Jail - Holding Center, 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.

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

How Do Inmates in Erie County Jail - Holding Center Make Phone Calls?

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

Erie County Jail - Holding Center uses the services of IC Solutions.
Register with them online or call them at 888-506-8407.
Agents are available 24 hours a day, and speak both English & Spanish.
Services for Erie County inmates and their families and friends include Collect Calling, PIN Debits, Purchasing Calling Cards, Voicemail & Prepaid calls. In addition, IC Solutions provides secure messaging, sending photos, video phone calls and online deposits for inmates and their families in Erie County.
Although rates are subject to change, they generally run about $0.21 per minute for phone calls.

Note: All your calls with an inmate are recorded, stored and shared with law enforcement if the conversation deals with your case or any criminal activity. Anything communicated can be used against you or your inmate in court.

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

How to visit an inmate in Erie County New York using Video Visitation or visiting an inmate at the jail

To visit an inmate in Erie County follow these steps:

In addition to visiting inmates at the jail, Erie County Jail - Holding Center uses a video visitation service called IC Solutions.
In order to visit with your inmate online or at the Erie County Jail Video Kiosk, you must first register with IC Solutions.
Once you are logged into your existing IC Solutions account or have created a new account and are logged in, you must select Register for Video and enter Erie County Jail - Holding Center.
Then select your Erie County Inmate.
Then fund your account using either a Visa, Mastercard credit or debit card.
Lastly, schedule a visit.
The cost for a remote video visit ranges from $7-10 for 20-25 minute visit. Rates are subject to change.

For full instructions on all the benefits of using IC Solutions to visit a Erie County inmate, visiting an inmate at the jail itself, rates, policies, rules, dress codes, bringing children, attorney and clergy visits and more, go to our official Visit Inmate Page.