McKenzie County Jail & Sheriff Inmate Tablet Rental

McKenzie County Jail & Sheriff

Address:
201 5th St. NW
Watford City, ND 58854

Phone:

(701)842-3654

Inmate Tablet Rentals at the McKenzie County Jail & Sheriff

McKenzie County Jail & Sheriff uses the services of Reliance Telephone for video (visit) phone calls and for emailing/texting to inmates.

Note: This option may not be available for your inmate. When registering, check to see if tablets are available.

  • Known as the 'Reliance Inmate Wallet', it makes funding jail communication easy. 
  • Payments made into an 'Inmate Wallet' account are linked to a dedicated telephone number for inmates who rent one of their Reliance Tablet Phones.
  • Inmate Wallet funds can be used for personal inmate text messaging, voice calls and video calls. 
  • The cost of this is $4.00 per month for rental of the Reliance Tablet Phone + $0.25 per minute for video and voice calls.

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

You can find information about the McKenzie 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 (701)842-3654 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 Do You Schedule and Visit an Inmate in McKenzie County Jail & Sheriff?

To set up an account to schedule and visit your McKenzie County inmate, follow these instructions:

  • Register and set up a new account with RELIANCE, or log in if you already have an account.
  • Select McKenzie County Jail & Sheriff, then select your inmate who you will be visiting.
  • Your identity will have to investigated and approved by the McKenzie County staff.
  • Once approved, you can schedule a visit.

For all the information you need in order to schedule and visit your McKenzie County inmate, or to assist them in visiting with others, including instructions, fees, cost of each visit, requirements for free visits, tablet rentals that can be used for visits, payment methods and times that your inmate can have a visit, check out our Visit Inmate Page.
NOTE: All of your visits with your inmate will be monitored and recorded. Use discretion when discussing sensitive information about their pending case.


 

How Do Inmates in McKenzie County Jail & Sheriff Make Phone Calls?

To set up your McKenzie County inmate to make to make phone calls to you and others, follow these instructions:

For all the information you need in order to receive phone calls from your McKenzie County inmate, or to assist them in making calls to others, including instructions, fees, cost of calls, payment methods and times that your inmate can use the phone, check out our Inmate Phone Page.
NOTE: All of your communication with your inmate will be monitored and recorded. Use discretion when discussing sensitive information about their pending case.


 

How Do Inmates in McKenzie County Jail & Sheriff Send and Receive Texts and Emails?

To set up your McKenzie County inmate to make to send and receive texts and emails to you and others, follow these instructions:

For all the information you need in order to send and receive texts and emails from your McKenzie County inmate, or to assist them in sending and receiving secure messages to and from others, including instructions, fees, cost of each message, tablet rentals, payment methods and times that your inmate can send messages, check out our Text/Email an Inmate Page.
NOTE: All of your communication with your inmate will be monitored and recorded. Use discretion when communicating sensitive information about their pending case.


 

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

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

  • Go to JailATM, choose North Dakota, then choose McKenzie 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 McKenzie 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 McKenzie 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 McKenzie County Jail & Sheriff check out our Commissary Instructions Page for McKenzie County.


 

How to Deposit Money Online for an Inmate in McKenzie County

To deposit money online for an inmate in McKenzie 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 McKenzie County.
  • After registering and signing in, select 'Send Money Now'.
  • Choose North Dakota, then choose McKenzie 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 McKenzie 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 McKenzie 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 McKenzie County Jail & Sheriff, or depositing money at the jail, over the phone or by mail, check out our Send Money Page for McKenzie County.