Richland County Detention Center Photos & Videos

Richland County Bail Bond Information

Because Richland County and South Carolina can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Richland County Detention Center at 803-576-3200, 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 Richland County Detention Center or the Richland County Court Clerk these specific questions:

1. Is the defendant eligible for bail or a bond?
2. How much will the bail or bond be, and what are the additional fees?
3. Where do I go to pay it?
4. Are there any days or times of the day or night when I cannot post bail?
5. What types of payment are allowed? Cash? Money order? Credit card? What types of credit cards? Property or other collateral? Surety bonds?
6. 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.

How to Communicate with an Richland County Detention Center Inmate by Mail and by Email

To mail or email an inmate in Richland 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 Richland County Detention Center 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 Richland County Detention Center 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 Richland County Detention Center,
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 Richland 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 Richland County can be found on our Inmate Mail Page and our Text/Email an Inmate Page.

How Inmates Can Use a Tablet to Access Services at Richland County Detention Center

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 Richland County Detention Center 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 Do You Visit an Inmate in Richland County Detention Center?

To visit an inmate in Richland 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, Richland County remote video inmate visitation can be done using the services of GettingOut. 

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

Other Richland 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 Richland County Detention Center 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 Richland County, can be found on our Visit Inmate Page.

Richland County Detention Center Phone: 803-576-3200

How Do You Communicate with an Inmate in the Richland County Detention Center 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 Richland County Detention Center, 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 Richland County Detention Center 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.

Richland County Detention Center Inmate Mail Policies and Address - What Can You Send, and Where?

For inmates receiving mail in the Richland County Detention 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 Richland County Detention Center:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate Number, Housing Unit (call 803-576-3200 for this information)
Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center
201 John Mark Dial Drive
Columbia, SC 29209

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 to Deposit Money Online for an inmate in Richland County Detention Center

Richland County Detention Center uses McDaniel Supply Company for their inmate commissary. 

McDaniel Supply operates the JailPackStore website so you can order online using a credit or debit card. They will send the money to your inmate at Richland County Detention Center.

JailPackStore has a very cumbersome website that requires you to: 

1. register,
2. add a credit or debit card, and then
3. locate your inmate, before you can even deposit funds.

Maximum Deposit -  $300

Fee to Deposit Money using a credit or debit card - 

• $3.95 to deposit $10.00 - 25.00
• $6.95 to deposit $25.01 - 100.00
• $8.95 to deposit $100.01 - 200.00
• $10.95 to deposit $200.01 to 300.00

Any money that you deposit and don't immediately send will be held as a credit on your account for future disbursement or spend.

For full instructions on how to deposit money to your inmate online, what the fees are, and how to save money doing it this way, check out our inmate money page.

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

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

• Richland County Detention Center uses McDaniel Supply Company for their inmate commissary.
  
• McDaniel Supply operates the JailPackStore website so you can order online using a credit or debit card. They will ship your order directly to your inmate at Richland County Detention Center.
• JailPackStore has a very cumbersome website that requires you to:  1. register, 2. add a credit or debit card, and then 3. locate your inmate in Richland County before you can even see their commissary products, prices, additional fees, etc. 

NOTE: There will also be a limit on how much product you can send your inmate in Richland County at any one time.

For all information, tips and a list and photos of available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Richland County Detention Center check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Richland County.