Belmont County Jail
In compliance with Section 341 of the Ohio Revised Code, the Belmont County Sheriff is empowered as the keeper of the County Jail. The Belmont County Jail is a one hundred forty-four (144) bed, full-service jail. It can house one hundred twenty (120) male prisoners and twenty-four (24) female prisoners at any given time. Prisoners confined in the jail include those charged with every type of criminal offense from the most minor traffic charge to those facing capital punishment. These include Prisoners awaiting trial or sentencing, transfer to a state institution, fugitives awaiting return to other states, and those inmates awaiting probation or parole revocations. The Belmont County Jail provides services for the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office, police departments countywide, and other federal agencies. The Belmont County Jail is currently operated under the direction of Chief Deputy of Jail Administration, Stanley Galownia. The staff consists of (1) Jail Lieutenant, Jarrett Weeks, four (4) Jail Shift Sergeants, four (4) Jail Shift Corporals, and twenty four (24) full-time Jail Shift Corrections Officers. We also staff one (1) Jail Transport Sergeant and four (4) Jail Transport Deputies who facilitate the various daily transport needs and requirements in servicing the courts and inmate needs. Our jail facility additionally staffs two (2) Jail Inmate Support Officers. The Belmont County Jail is medically equipped to handle minor emergencies in-house with the assistance of around the clock medical staff coverage consisting of nine (9) nurses and a 24-hour on-call medical director physician. All medical emergencies and serious medical issues are handled by the jail physician in conjunction with a local hospital emergency room facilities.
1. GENERAL INMATE MAIL:
How to receive mail from friends and family while an inmate at the Belmont County Jail.
BELMONT COUNTY JAIL, GENERAL INMATE MAIL POLICY – EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1, 2021
As per effective date above, this correctional facility has the Mail Management provider of Textbehind. The TextBehind mailroom staff will forward your mail electronically to our jail facility during standard business hours.
To meet mail processing standards, every mail envelope sent to an inmate must contain the following information:
- Sender’s complete first and last name. (Initials are not acceptable.)
- Sender’s complete return address.
- Inmate’s complete first and last name. (Initials are not acceptable).
- Inmate’s Jail ID Number.
- Institution full name: Belmont County Jail (Abbreviations are not acceptable).
TextBehind processes mail and electronic messages Monday-Friday. TextBehind does not accept legal mail, money orders, personal checks, gift cards or cash in the mail. These unacceptable items will be returned to the sender.
Mailing Options
Sending Electronic Mail through TextBehind:
Your family and friends can now create and send electronic letters, greeting cards, photos and drawings from your children at an affordable cost online by visiting www.textbehind.com using a computer or free TextBehind mobile app for smartphones.
Sending Hand-Written Mail to TextBehind:
If your family and friends choose to write letters by hand, the must send their letters to the following TextBehind mailing address to be photocopied before being electronically forwarded to the intended Inmate at the Belmont County Jail. The letters must be addressed correctly as shown below:
Inmate First / Last Name and Inmate Jail ID Number
Belmont County Jail
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131
Unacceptable Mail
Sender’s first and last name must be on the envelope. Letters with incomplete information will be discarded.
TextBehind does not accept legal mail, money orders, personal checks, gift cards or cash in the mail.
Please visit TextBehind.com for more information regarding this service.
2. INMATE VISITS:
All inmates will be able to visit two (2) times per day on-site for free or unlimited off-site visits for a fee with the exception of suspensions, disciplinary circumstances, or otherwise noted. Be advised, family/friends visits may be restricted if rules are not followed. If visitation rights are restricted, inmates in disciplinary status will have visitation restricted to only the time as indicated below.
No contact visits will be permitted.
The visitation is scheduled for this facility is as follows:
Visitors may check in 5 minutes prior to their visit. All visitors must be registered to be in the visit. Any children under the age of one (1), do not count in the number of visitors but they still need to be registered. All
Visitations are subject to audio/video monitoring and/or recording.
VISITATION TIMES:
On & Off Site:
Sunday – Saturday
| Begin | End |
|---|---|
| 0700 (7:00 am) | 1030 (10:30 am) |
| 1300 (1:00 pm) | 1530 (3:30 pm) |
| 1700 (5:00 pm) | 2030 (8:30 pm) |
| 2200 (10:00 pm) | 2230 (10:30 pm) |
*Inmates that are in disciplinary status, can receive a visit starting at:
- 2300 (11:00 pm)
- 0130 (1:30 am)
All visitations are 25 minutes. All visitors are required to be registered to be present in the visit. Absolutely no exceptions will be made. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
If a visit is cancelled by the inmate, the visitor will receive a cancellation email. If a visit is cancelled by the facility, the visitor will receive a cancellation email explaining why the visit was cancelled.
If a visitor or inmate is more than 5 minutes late to their visit, their visit will be automatically cancelled. The visitation starts when the visitor and/or inmate log in.
All attorney of record and certified members of clergy shall be permitted to visit any inmate at reasonable times, both daytime and evening upon prior scheduling with the Jail and providing of proper identification upon arrival.
3. How do I put money on an inmate’s commissary account?
There are several ways to put money on an inmate’s account. Money can be dropped off in the sheriff’s office lobby at the kiosk. The kiosk only accepts five-dollar bills or higher, debit and/or credit cards. A valid I.D. Card or Driver’s License is also required.
Money orders are accepted through the mail and must be made payable to the inmate, or you can go to www.accesscorrections.com to add money electronically. You will also need to know the inmates I.D. Number, the I.D. Number can be obtained from our web site or by calling the Jail and requesting the information.
4. When is the Jail Commissary?
Commissary is conducted on Tuesdays and Fridays.
In order for an inmate to receive commissary, they must have money on their account no later than Mondays at 7:00 A.M. and Thursday at 7:00 A.M.
5. How do I bond someone out of jail and who can I call for a bondsman?
The method of bonding someone out of jail is dependent upon the type of charges he or she was arrested on. A cash bond requires the amount of the bond to be paid in full. Payment must be in the form of cash only. A surety bond can be paid in the same fashion, or a bonding company can be used. For this type of bond you will be required to come up with a portion of the cash amount and provide collateral, or something of value, equal to the remaining amount. The bondsman will work out all necessary arrangements with you, and then present the necessary paperwork to the jail to initiate the release of the inmate.
All persons who are bailing out any individuals in the Belmont County Jail are subject to one-time $3.00 non-refundable fee and a state mandated $25.00 bond fee. If paying cash, you must have exact change as the county jail will not be able to make change for you.
A list of approved bonding companies for Belmont County may be obtained by calling the Belmont County Jail at 740-695-5124.
6. Can inmates receive phone calls?
Incoming calls or messages to the inmate will not be accepted. However inmates have access to telephones during the day and can call you. If the inmate has received disciplinary confinement phone calls may be allowed only one time a day. In the case of a medical emergency withing the inmate’s family, you can call the jail and ask for the shift supervisor who will verify the emergency and may allow the inmate a special outgoing phone privilege. Any additional assistance with setting up a prepaid account, please contact I.C. Solutions at 1-888-506-8407 or www.icsolutions.com.
7. Can I bring in clothing and hygiene items for the inmate?
Inmates are provided clothing for the duration of their incarceration. If an inmate is indigent, a packet consisting of a comb, deodorant, toothbrush, soap, and toothpaste is provided to the inmate. Additionally, all feminine hygiene items will be available for female inmates. All other hygiene items can be purchases by the inmate from the Commissary. If an inmate is going to appear in court and you wish to bring him or her clothes for trial, you can have the inmate’s attorney or public defender make the necessary arrangements. The Jail will not accept any clothing and/or personal property for an inmate being housed in another facility or treatment program. You must make contact with that facility and follow their guild lines for same.
8. Ive been sentenced to incarceration on weekends or work release, what do I do now?
As soon as you have been sentenced by the court(s) to do weekends or work release you need to contact the Inmate Support Officer at 740-695-7933 Ext 155 to make the proper arrangements and/or payments. This should be done a week prior to your reporting date to jail. No one will be approved or allowed to start their work release until all the proper paper work has been completed and employment verified. Everyone on work release will be subject to random drug testing at the inmate’s expense.
The tip line may exclusively be reached at 877-847-7487.
Tips will NOT be accepted through social media, websites or email in order to ensure confidentiality.
The Crime Stoppers of the Upper Ohio Valley website is www.crimestoppersuov.com.