Ellis County Jail Inmate Tablet Rental

Ellis County Jail

Address:
300 South Jackson
Waxahachie, TX 75165

Phone:

972-825-4931

Inmate Tablet Rental for Ellis County Jail

Ellis County Jail offers NCIC tablets to rent to inmates that they can use for video visitation and calls, phone calls, instant messaging, education and entertainment.

They can also be used for commissary ordering.


Does Ellis County Jail have tablets for the inmates to use?

You can find information about the Ellis County Jail’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 972-825-4931 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.
 

Ellis County Bail Bond Information

Because Ellis County and Texas can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Ellis County Jail at 972-825-4931, 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 Ellis County Jail or the Ellis 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 Do I put Money on an Inmate's Commissary Account in the Ellis County Jail to Purchase Phone Cards?

There are FOUR options for putting money on an inmate's books:

Option 1 - Dropping Money at the Ellis County Jail
Bring money to the jail in person. 
Either the jail personnel will process the Inmate Account payment or you will use the NCIC self-serve kiosk in the lobbies that accepts cash, debit or credit cards.

Option 2 - Deposit Inmate Money Online
Ellis County Jail uses NCIC to process all online deposits to an inmate's account. NCIC charges you a small fee for doing so, but the fee probably isn't as much as gas and parking would cost to take it to the jail in person.



Option 3 - Mail the Inmate Deposit to the Jail
Mailing a deposit takes more time to process than the other methods but can be done if you live too far away to bring it in person and you don't have a debit/credit card for online deposits. Never send cash. Always send a Money Order from the US Post Office, a reputable bank or Western Union.
Make the Money Order out to the inmate's name and put their Inmate ID# in memo section of the Money Order.  Mail it to the Ellis County Jail address on this page, or to the address below if it is different than the facility address.
Inmate's Full Name & Book-in Number (S.O. #)
c/o Wayne McCollum Detention Center
300 S Jackson St.
Waxahachie, TX 75165

Option 4 - Make an Inmate Deposit over the Phone by calling 800-943-2189

For more information about sending an inmate money for phone cards or other commissary sundries, check out our Inmate Money Page.


 

How to Rent a Tablet for an Inmate at the Ellis County Jail

Ellis County Jail offers NCIC tablets to rent to inmates that they can use for video visitation and calls, phone calls, instant messaging, education and entertainment.

They can also be used for commissary ordering.

To find out more bout how much tablets cost to rent, and what programs, entertainment, education and other things it can be used for, check out our Tablet Page.


 

How to deposit money in an inmate's account in the Ellis County Jail

  • To deposit money online go the NCIC website
  • To deposit money over the phone call 800-943-2189
  • To deposit money at the jail use the NCIC Kiosk in the Ellis County Jail lobby.
  • Call the jail at 972-825-4931 to confirm lobby hours for depositing inmate funds.

For complete information on depositing money in an inmate's account, check out our Inmate Money page.


 

How to Deposit Money into an Inmate's Account in Ellis County Jail

To deposit money into the account of an inmate in Ellis County, follow these instructions:

  • Create an account with Touchpay Services, a GTL company.
  • Select Texas.
  • Select Ellis County Jail
  • Enter the Inmate ID of your inmate.  This can be found by calling 972-825-4931 or by looking up the inmate's name in the Inmate Search link.
  • Enter your billing information and send money.
  • You can also deposit cash using the kiosk at the Ellis County Jail.  To do this you need the Inmate's ID Number and the Facility Locator Number for Ellis County.

For all the information you need regarding making an inmate deposit, what it costs, how much you can send, how long it takes for your inmate to receive funds and more, and to get the Facility Locator Number, check out our Send Money Page.


 

How Do Visit an Inmate in Ellis County Jail?

To visit an inmate in Ellis County you need to do the following:

Ellis County Jail uses the services of NCIC for remote video visitation. In other words, you can visit your inmate in jail by using your home computer, as long as it is equipped with a microphone and camera that supports video.

When available, the jail also provides use of ‘video visit kiosks’ in the Ellis County Jail lobby if you do not have a computer at home. These ’on-site’ video visits are FREE.

Costs
NCIC Video Visitation fees are subject to change, but the cost to you is roughly $7.50 ($0.25 per minute) for a 30-minute visit + an additional fee of $2.00 for the connection.
On-site (at the jail) video visits are FREE.

How to set up your Video Visit

  • Register here.  
  • Select Ellis County Jail
  • Select your inmate.
  • Choose your date and time.

Your inmate will be notified by the Ellis County Jail staff of the date and time for the visit. Be sure to be in front of your computer and connected to NCIC at least 15 minutes before the start of the visit.

NCIC Customer Service
Phone - 800-943-2189 or 903-247-0069
Email – [email protected]

For all the information you need to know, whether it be 'in person' at-the-jail visitation or remote video visitation with your Ellis County inmate, go to our Visit Inmate Page.


 

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

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

Ellis County Jail uses the services of NCIC for you to deposit funds into your {Ellis County inmate’s account so that you and they can purchase secure email messaging services from this jail’s e-messaging service.

You can deposit money three different ways:

•    Deposit online at NCIC.com
•    Deposit at the kiosk in the Ellis County Jail lobby, if available.
•    Deposit over the phone 24/7 at 800-943-2189 or 903-247-0069 (Note: if you deposit money using a live agent the fee is $5.95).
Email – [email protected]

For all information on how to Text/Email an Inmate in Ellis County Jail check out our Secure Messaging Guide for Ellis County.


 

How Does an Inmate Make Phone Calls in Ellis County Jail?

To receive phone calls from an inmate in Ellis County follow these instructions:

Ellis County Jail uses the services of NCIC for inmate phone calling. It is called a ‘friends & family account”.

In order to receive phone calls from your inmate, you need to do the following:

  • Register here, or by phone 800-943-2189
  • Choose Texas.
  • Choose Ellis County Jail
  • Select your Inmate.
  • Enter the phone number your Inmate will be calling.
  • Fund your Account. ($10-$100 at a time)

NOTE:
1.   You cannot receive any calls to your phone number from your inmate until both you and your phone number are registered.
2.  When you do receive a call, the number you will view on your phone from the incoming call is: 800-943-2189.
3.  When allowed by Ellis County Jail, families can also leave secure voicemails for inmates to listen to.

Fees

  • Adding funds to your account - $3.00 
  • Cost of phone call of a Prepaid Collect Account - $0.21 per minute
  • Cost of an interstate (ex. Texas to a different state) phone call NOT Prepaid - $0.25 per minute
  • Cost of an intrastate (ex. Texas to Texas) phone call NOT Prepaid - $0.25 per minute
  • Cost if you set up your account (or fund it) by phone using a live agent, you will be charged a one-time fee of $5.95.

NCIC Customer Service
Phone - 800-943-2189 or 903-247-0069
Email – [email protected]
Full list of participating jails.

For all the information regarding phone calls with Ellis County inmates; rules, policies, phone calling times, fees, limits and more visit our Inmate Phone Page.


 

Photos of this facility
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Ellis County JailWayne McCollum Detention Center located in Waxahachie TX (Texas) 1
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Ellis County JailWayne McCollum Detention Center located in Waxahachie TX (Texas) 4
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Ellis County JailWayne McCollum Detention Center located in Waxahachie TX (Texas) 5