Smith County Low Risk Detention Center COVID-19 Coronavirus Visitation Policy

Smith County Low Risk Detention Center

Address:
2811 Public Road
Tyler, TX 75710

Phone:

903-590-2661

New Visitation Policies in Smith County Low Risk Detention Center Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus

Because of concerns for the safety and wellness of both staff and inmates at the Smith County Low Risk Detention Center in Tyler, 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 903-590-2661 for updates.

Video Visitation at Smith County Low Risk Detention Center

At-home and onsite video visitation guidelines for Smith County Low Risk Detention Center, when this service is available, can be found by going to the visitation information page.

We highly recommend that you call 903-590-2661 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 Smith 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 Smith County Low Risk Detention Center 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.

How Does an Inmate Make Phone Calls in Smith County Low Risk Detention Center?

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

Smith County Low Risk Detention Center 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 Smith County Low Risk Detention Center
  • 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 Smith County Low Risk Detention Center, 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 Smith County inmates; rules, policies, phone calling times, fees, limits and more visit our Inmate Phone Page.


 

How to visit an inmate in Smith County Texas using Remote Video Visitation 

To visit an inmate in Smith County follow these steps:

  • In addition to visiting inmates at the jail, Smith County Low Risk Detention Center uses a video visitation service called JailATM.
  • In order to visit with your inmate online or at the Smith County Jail Video Kiosk, you must first register with JailATM.
  • Once you register, choose the option for 'Video Calls' or Video Visits and you will be prompted for the information required, which will include copies of your state issued ID and more. 
  • Note: While JailATM also offers the following inmate services, Smith County Low Risk Detention Center may or may not allow all of them. Check on the JailATM website to confirm.
  • Services available through JailATM are subject to change with no notice.
    1.  You Can Send Money
         Smith County Low Risk Detention Center may have an agreement with JailATM so that you can deposit money online or using the kiosk in the Smith County Low Risk Detention Center lobby.
    2.  You Can Send Gift Packs
         Smith County Low Risk Detention Center may have an agreement with JailATM, which ships predetermined Gift Packs of candy, snacks and hygiene products to your inmate. Check the JailATM website to see if they allow these to be sent to your inmate.
    3.  You Can Email Inmate
         Smith County Low Risk Detention Center may have an agreement with JailATM which handles secure messaging between you and your inmate. Check the JailATM website to see if they allow emailing your inmate.
  • Customer Support: 877-810-0914.

For full instructions on all the benefits of using JailATM to visit a Smith County inmate, visiting an inmate at the jail itself, rates, policies, rules, dress codes, bringing children, attorney and clergy visits and more, go to our official Visit Inmate Page. 


 

Smith County Low Risk Detention Center Inmate Mail Guidelines

Postcards
The Smith County Low Risk Detention Center allows inmates to receive pre-metered postcards like the type purchased from the post office. They may also allow certain photo postcards as long as they have not been tampered with or contain images that may be considered to be obscene or violent in nature.

Envelopes
The Smith County Low Risk Detention Center also allows envelopes to be mailed to inmates.

Postcards and envelopes MUST be mailed to the following address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID# (call 903-590-2661 for this number)
c/o Smith County Jail
2830 S. Hulen St.
Box 809
Fort Worth, TX 76109



Legal Mail

Send all legal Mail to this Address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID# (call 903-590-2661 for this number)
c/o Smith County Jail
206 E. Elm Street
Tyler, TX 75702



Newspapers
Local or national newspapers may also be mailed to the inmate as long as they are mailed directly from the newspaper publisher.

Magazines
News, special interest or sports magazines may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher. Any magazines that contain profanity, weapons, pornography or other content that is adult in nature will be confiscated by the jail staff and will NOT be delivered to the inmate.

Books
The Smith County Low Risk Detention Center allows books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as AmazonBarnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address below.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Smith County Low Risk Detention Center standards will be disposed of. No more than three books may be shipped at any one time.
Hard cover books will not be accepted by the jail due to their potential to be used as a weapon.


All newspapers, magazines and books are to be shipped to:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID# (call 903-590-2661 for this number)
c/o Smith County Jail
206 E. Elm Street
Tyler, TX 75702


 

How to Email an Inmate at Smith County Low Risk Detention Center

Using Jail ATM Digital Messaging with an Inmate at Smith County Low Risk Detention Center - Sending and Receiving Messages.



How It Works:

Once you sign up with Jail ATM instant Messaging you can you can send texts from the cell phone associated with the mobile number you provided at sign-up, and receive text messages from the inmate on the same cell phone. You can only use the phone number you signed up with or it won't work.

To learn more about this email service, check out our full instructions, including fees at our emailing and texting page.


 

How to Deposit Money Online for an Inmate in Smith County

To deposit money online for an inmate in Smith County Low Risk Detention Center follow these steps:

  • Register to open an account, or Sign In to JailATM, a service that acts as a bank for inmates in Smith County.
  • After registering and signing in, select 'Send Money Now'.
  • Choose Texas, then choose Smith County Low Risk Detention Center
  • Type in your inmate's last name or their Inmate ID.
  • Select your inmate.
  • Input an amount to deposit to your inmate in Smith County Low Risk Detention Center, and then input your payment method. 
  • NOTE: There may be a limit on how much money you can send your inmate in Smith 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 Smith County Low Risk Detention Center, or depositing money at the jail, over the phone or by mail, check out our Send Money Page for Smith County.


 

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