JACKSON CI AND DOC PRISONER MONEY

SERVICE CENTERS
Thursday, December 26, 2002 6:52 PM

This Service Center info is onsite for new families who don't know who to contact over matters of inmate accounts.  The Service Center is not regional, but handles the entire Florida DOC system.  Kay Lee kayleeusa@yahoo.com

Jackson CI (or any other Florida prison) can look at the financial records of any prisoner to verify that indeed he receives money monthly and has no need to be doing anything for money.

Also, when on A/C (Administrative Confinement), prisoners are permitted to have all property and canteen privileges, the premise being that, when on A/C, they have not been convicted of anything and so are afforded the same property/canteen privileges (but no phone) as general population. It is only D/C (Disciplinary Confinement) that restricts the property and canteen use.

You can call the service center for a statement, but isn't always necessary - As a rule, if you send money on a regular basis, you might call there every two weeks to verify they have received and applied the money sent by western union and at that time they will give me your prisoner's current balance.

The Inmate Bank - or Service Center as it is called - is one office for all prisons - When you call the service center it does not matter where your prisoner is housed. There are NO regional offices - it is one office for all prisons/facilities. It is available to anyone who has an interest in a person incarcerated within the FL DOC.

The number for the Service Center is  toll free 1 866-209-7250, open Monday through Friday, 8 Am to 4 Pm EST.

The Service Center bases everything on the DC number.  The mail-in card they provide to send with the money order doesn't require the facility they are housed in either.

If you need some of those cards call the above number and they will mail out ten at a time. When you call they will ask you for your prisoner's DC number and name - you tell them - they will also ask your name.

If you are inquiring about funds sent - for example if you send by western union you would say "My name is XXX.  I sent some money by western union to [prisoner's name and DOC number] - on such and such date.  Can you please verify that it has been received and applied to his account?"

The clerk will look it up - and say yes (or no if the case).  Also you should make it a point to ask for the balance each time you call - they normally provide it readily.

If you ask that your prisoner be sent a printout of his account and expenditures, they will usually comply.

Jackson used to be really bad about giving the monthly statements to the prisoners.  If that is a problem, request them for your prisoner.

If you are not sending money - I don't know how co-operative they will be, but I have found them normally accommodating when I have had the need to call. It has been my experience that if you speak to them respectfully, they will treat you in kind.

Also about Western Union - After having spoken to the Service Center so many times, I learned something very important: On the WU Quick Collect form - there is a category called the "Sender's Account".  That will be your prisoner's DC Number and Name, in that order with no spaces between the two. 

The "Sender's Account" is the second most critical area of the form (after "code city" FL DOC) because the money goes from Western Union DIRECTLY into that account - it is not handled in any way by the DOC.

If you mess up the DC number it is not going to be successful.  If you make the mistake of having a space after the DC number and before the name (there is no space) it probably will not be applied correctly. 

It is fairly simple to resolve but there is, of course, a delay. When a mistake has been made - you are then subject to waiting for the DOC tracking it down, reversing and correcting it etc, which can be a drawn-out process.

The DOC downloads their Western Union funds ONCE daily and that is at 8 Pm EST.  If you have the money sent before 8 Pm EST it will be in the prisoner's account by 8:30 Pm EST. .  That doesn't mean accessible to him but in his account.

If your money order is sent after the cutoff - the funds will not be applied until 8 Pm the next night.

NOTE: Your prisoner will only get the 65 or 80 dollars per week regardless of how much is in the account.

I have found the WU system to be fast - functional and safe - no lost mail - no human error as there is with the mail in cards and money orders. Hope this helps...