Austin County Jail COVID-19 Coronavirus Visitation Policy

Austin County Jail

Address:
Jail: 417 N. Chesley Street
Sheriff: 417 N. Chesley Street
Bellville, TX 77418

Phone:

Jail: 979-865-5321

New Visitation Policies in Austin County Jail Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus

Because of concerns for the safety and wellness of both staff and inmates at the Austin County Jail in Bellville, Texas, 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 Jail: 979-865-5321 for updates.

Video Visitation at Austin County Jail

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

We highly recommend that you call Jail: 979-865-5321 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 Austin County, the state of Texas 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 Austin County Jail Be Safe from Getting Sick With COVID-19 Coronavirus?

Whether the inmates are safe from contracting the coronavirus depends entirely on two things:

  1. The Virus being introduced into the facility by a staff member or inmate who is unaware that they have it.
  2. 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.

Depositing Money for Communicating with an Inmate

How to Make a Deposit for Phone, Email or Visitation using GettingOut.com

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


 

How Do Inmates in Austin County Jail Make or Receive Phone Calls?

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

1.  Start by confirming that Austin County Jail has the phone service you need to communicate with your inmate by the facility lookup here.
2. In the meantime, you can create an account here for GettingOut.
3. Then add funds to your account. This account can be controlled by just you, or by both you and your inmate.
4. Last, select Austin County Jail, and then the inmate you wish to communicate with.

Austin County Services that are provided by GettingOut, a GTL company:
 - Phone Calls & Voicemail 
 - Video Visits (from home or jail lobby)
 - Email & Photo Sharing
 - Tablet Rental
 - Deposits


Phone & Voicemail Fees

1.  GettingOut charges $0.25 per minute for all phone calls, prepaid or collect, within Texas.
2. Prepaid calls between Texas and other states costs $0.21 per minute. International calls are $0.95 per minute.
3. There is a fee of $3.00 every time you add money to your account online, and it costs $5.95 if you add funds over the phone with a live agent.
4. You can also leave an inmate a short voice message for a flat fee of $1.25.

Note: Rates are subject to change.

Types of Phone Calls
Collect Calls
Collect calls allow you to accept and pay for calls to your land line (only) phone account. This means that if you accept your call from your inmate, all the charges for that call will then be billed to your land line phone account and will show up and be listed on your next local phone bill. Additional fees, costs, restrictions may apply.

Prepaid calls (Direct Calls)
With Prepaid Calls you can set up your account so that the inmate can only call you and/or you can just deposit money in their account and they can purchase prepaid phone cards through their commissary and call whoever they choose, provided the Austin County Jail approves of the phone number.

Quick Connect
Quick connect is an alternative to collect calls. It allows you to quickly pay for a phone call with your credit card.  When your inmate calls you, follow the instructions from the automated voice system to pay for that one phone call, directly billed to your card.

Customer Service
If you have any questions about the Austin County Jail GettingOut phone services, you can call them at 866-516-0115.

* All the information you need to understand making and receiving phone calls with inmates in Austin County, can be found on our Inmate Phone Page.


 

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

To send a secure email message to an inmate in Austin County Jail follow these steps:

  • Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
  • Select Texas, then select Austin County Jail, 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 Austin County Jail check out our Secure Messaging Guide for Austin County.


 

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Austin County

To send commissary money to an inmate in Austin County Jail follow these steps:

  • Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
  • Select Texas, then select Austin County Jail, 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 Austin County Jail.