Whatcom County Jail Remote Inmate Video Visits

Whatcom County Jail

Address:
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225

Phone:

360-778-6500

Whatcom County Jail - Remote Video Visitation with your Inmate

Whatcom County Jail uses GettingOut for their Remote Video Visitation and/or Visit Scheduling. 



There are three ways to remotely visit your inmate:

1.  Using the GettingOut/GTL Kiosk at the jail.
2. Using your computer from home.
3. Using your phone on the GettingOut or GTL apps.

How it Works with GettingOut
1.  Register an account.
2. Select Whatcom County Jail
3. Choose either an INMATE ACCOUNT or FRIENDS & FAMILY ACCOUNT.   

  • **NOTE** Friends and Family must have funds in their "Friends & Family Account" to respond to inmate messages. 
  • If you deposit money online in the INMATE ACCOUNT, than they have the freedom to spend the money on visits or phone calls to anyone, or any other communications services available at Whatcom County Jail.
  • With the FRIENDS & FAMILY ACCOUNT, you control all communication services such as phone calls, video visits and messaging. Your inmate can only call the phone number you want.

4. You will then receive prompts to validate both your identity and phone number .
5. Again, choose your inmate's facility, then type their name and select your inmate.

GettingOut will then guide you through the steps needed to arrange your remote visit.

Customer Service for GettingOut
If you have any questions, you can call them at 866-516-0115.
GettingOut online contact form
Frequently Asked Questions
The GettingOut App is available on Google Play and Apple Store.

Whatcom County Jail ON-SITE (at the jail) VIDEO VISITATION SCHEDULE
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
360-778-6500

Schedule Video Visits online with gettingout

 

  • Due to ongoing facility maintenance on-site visits may be temporarily suspended. Call 360-778-6500 before coming to the facility.
  • Refer to the Jail Roster for an Inmate's Housing Assignments.
  • On-site Visits are free.
  • Visits are 30-60 minutes.
  • Visitation schedule subject to change.
  • Each inmate at the Jail is allowed one, 1-hour visit per week.
  • A maximum of 3 guests are allowed per inmate visit.
  • All visits must be made at least 24 hours in advance.

DAY TIME
SUNDAY 8:00AM - 4:00PM
MONDAY 8:00AM - 4:00PM
TUESDAY 8:00AM - 4:00PM
WEDNESDAY 8:00AM - 4:00PM
THURSDAY 8:00AM - 4:00PM
FRIDAY 8:00AM - 4:00PM
SATURDAY 8:00AM - 4:00PM

Whatcom County Jail REMOTE (at home) VIDEO VISITATION SCHEDULE

  • All visits must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance.
  • Visitation Schedule subject to change.
DAY TIME
SUNDAY 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
MONDAY 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
TUESDAY 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
WEDNESDAY 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
THURSDAY 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
FRIDAY 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
SATURDAY 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

IN-PERSON Visitation - Refer to the Jail Roster for an inmate's Housing Assignment

  • In person visits may be temporarily suspended. Call 360-778-6500 to confirm.
  • You must be signed in 10 minutes early
DAY UNIT TIME
SAT 1st & 3rd Floor
(all women)
8:00AM
9:00AM
10:00AM
SAT ALL INMATES 1:00PM
2:00PM
3:00PM
SUN 2nd Floor
Units 2A, 2B, & 2C
8:00AM
9:00AM
10:00AM
SUN 2nd Floor
Units 2D, 2E, & 2F
1:00PM
2:00PM
3:00PM

 

What is a video visit?

Video visitation, also known as remote visitation, is quickly becoming the preferred method for visiting an inmate in jail or prison for the following reasons:

•    It requires little to no staff, versus the staff required to move inmates to and from the visit and watch over the visit. It saves the Whatcom County Jail money.
•    It removes any opportunity for contraband (drugs) to enter the facility.
•    It can become a profit center for the facility, given that the revenue generated by visits is shared with the jail.
•    While inmates prefer to see family and friends in person, video visitation allows them to visit with them more often, and on a whim.
•    Video visitation gives the inmates and their visitors the feeling of more privacy.

Video visitation from the perspective of the visitor allows them to visit from their home, their car, at work, and even allows them to take their device to a family or religious gathering. It allows them to give their inmate the feeling of belonging and not being forgotten.

Video visitation can take place on a computer, a tablet or a phone. 

Video visitation saves time. Instead of spending hours driving to the jail, checking in, filling out paperwork, potentially being searched, waiting, and then having a 15–30-minute visit, if it isn’t cancelled at the last minute, the visit can be done from anywhere during a short break in the visitor’s day.

If the visitor does not have access to a phone or computer, they can make an appointment ahead of time and use terminals in the lobby of the jail.

You must also be on the inmate's approved list, even for a video visit.

What are the companies that work with the jails and prisons that allow video visits?

There are several different companies that contract with all the jails and prisons that allow video visitation:

These are the companies in alphabetical order:

CIDNET
City Tele Coin
Correct Solutions Group
Correct Pay
Ctel
Gettingout
GTL
Homewav
IC Solutions
Inmate Canteen
Inmate Sales
iwebvisits
JailATM
Jpay
Gettingintouch (netvisit)
NCIC
Prodigy Sales
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Tiger Services
Visitel
In addition, some jails use Microsoft Meeting and Zoom.

How Do Inmates in Whatcom County Jail Make Phone Calls?

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

  • Whatcom County Jail uses the services of IC Solutions.
  • Register with them online or call them at 888-506-8407
  • Agents are available 24 hours a day, and speak both English & Spanish.
  • Services for Whatcom County inmates and their families and friends include Collect Calling, PIN Debits, Purchasing Calling Cards, Voicemail & Prepaid calls.  In addition, IC Solutions provides secure messaging, sending photos, video phone calls and online deposits for inmates and their families in Whatcom County.
  • Although rates are subject to change, they generally run about $0.21 per minute for phone calls.

Note: All your calls with an inmate are recorded, stored and shared with law enforcement if the conversation deals with your case or any criminal activity. Anything communicated can be used against you or your inmate in court.

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


 

How to Communicate with an Whatcom County Jail Inmate by Mail and by Email

To mail or email an inmate in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County Jail 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 Whatcom County Jail 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 Whatcom County Jail,
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 Whatcom 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 Whatcom 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 Whatcom County Jail

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 Whatcom County Jail 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 Whatcom County Jail?

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

There are three ways to remotely visit your inmate in Whatcom County Jail:
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 Whatcom County follow these steps:
1.  Start by confirming that Whatcom County Jail's Video Visitation is working correctly by looking up Whatcom County here.

2.  The next step is to create an account here for GettingOut.
3. Then add funds to your account.
4. Last, select Whatcom County Jail, and then the inmate you wish to communicate with.

Other Whatcom 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 Whatcom County Jail 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 Whatcom County, can be found on our Visit Inmate Page.

Whatcom County Jail Phone: 360-778-6500


 

Whatcom County Jail Inmate Mail Policies and Address - What Can You Send, and Where?

For inmates receiving mail in the Whatcom County Jail 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 Whatcom County Jail:
Inmate's Name
Whatcom County Jail
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225


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 Send a Carepack Commissary Package Directly to an Inmate in Whatcom County

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

  • Go to JailATM, choose Washington, then choose Whatcom County Jail
  • 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 Whatcom County Jail, and then input your payment method. 
  • NOTE: There may be a limit on how much product you can send your inmate in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County Jail check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Whatcom County.


 

How to Deposit Money Online for an Inmate in Whatcom County

To deposit money online for an inmate in Whatcom County Jail follow these steps:

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


 

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