Erie County Jail - Holding Center Visitation Changes Due to Coronavirus

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Erie County Jail - Holding Center

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

New Visitation Policies in Erie County Jail - Holding Center Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus

Because of concerns for the safety and wellness of both staff and inmates at the Erie County Jail - Holding Center in Buffalo, New York, 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 716-858-7636 - then 4 for updates.

Video Visitation at Erie County Jail - Holding Center

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

We highly recommend that you call 716-858-7636 - then 4 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 Erie County, the state of New York 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 Erie County Jail - Holding Center 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.

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.