Rensselaer County Correctional Facility Visitation Changes Due to Coronavirus

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Rensselaer County Correctional Facility

Address:
4000 Main Street
Troy, NY 12180
Phone:
518-266-1730

New Visitation Policies in Rensselaer County Correctional Facility Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus

Because of concerns for the safety and wellness of both staff and inmates at the Rensselaer County Correctional Facility in Troy, 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 518-266-1730 for updates.

Video Visitation at Rensselaer County Correctional Facility

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

We highly recommend that you call 518-266-1730 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 Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County Correctional Facility 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.

Rensselaer County Bail Bond Information

Because Rensselaer County and New York can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Rensselaer County Correctional Facility at 518-266-1730, or the court in the jurisdiction (i.e. Municipal Court, District Court, etc.) where the offender was charged, and do this right after an arrestee has been booked.

Ask the staff at the Rensselaer County Correctional Facility or the Rensselaer 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.

Rensselaer County Correctional Facility Inmate Mail Policies and Address - What Can You Send, and Where?

For inmates receiving mail in the Rensselaer County Correctional Facility 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 Rensselaer County Correctional Facility:
Inmate's Full Name & Booking Identification Number (call 518-266-1730 for this)
Rensselaer County Correctional Facility
4000 Main Street
Troy, NY 12180

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

How Do You Communicate with an Inmate in the Rensselaer County Correctional Facility 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 Rensselaer County Correctional Facility, 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 Rensselaer County Correctional Facility 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

Rensselaer County Correctional Facility 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 Rensselaer County Correctional Facility using the kiosk in the jail lobby - (cash, debit or credit card) NOTE - Rensselaer County Correctional Facility 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 Rensselaer County Correctional Facility inmate's account for communication services, check out our Send Money page.

How Inmates Can Use a Tablet to Access Services at Rensselaer County Correctional Facility

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 Rensselaer County Correctional Facility 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 Rensselaer County Correctional Facility Inmate by Mail and by Email

To mail or email an inmate in Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County Correctional Facility 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 Rensselaer County Correctional Facility 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 Rensselaer County Correctional Facility,
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 Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County can be found on our Inmate Mail Page and our Text/Email an Inmate Page.

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

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

Select New York, then select Rensselaer County Correctional Facility, and then select the 'Send a Package Order' option.
Register and create an account with Access Securepak, for Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County at any one time.

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

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Rensselaer County

To send commissary money to an inmate in Rensselaer County Correctional Facility follow these steps:

Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
Select New York, then select Rensselaer County Correctional Facility, 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 Rensselaer County Correctional Facility.