How Do I Set Up Commissary for an Inmate?

Commissary setup is not a complicated process but it does require knowing the right channel for the specific facility your inmate is at, since each facility works with a contracted provider that handles trust account deposits.

The inmate trust account is essentially a personal spending account that lives inside the correctional system. Money deposited into it does not go directly to the inmate in cash. Instead it sits as a balance the inmate can draw from when they place a commissary order, make a phone call through the facility's phone system, or access email and other paid services where available. Everything flows from that central account balance.

To fund the account, the most common options are the facility's contracted money transfer service, which is often a company like JPay, Access Securepak, or Western Union depending on the institution. Most of these services allow you to deposit money online, through a mobile app, at a kiosk inside the facility, or in some cases over the phone. Each provider charges a transaction fee on top of the amount you are sending, so it is worth checking the fee structure before choosing a method.

InmateAid also offers trust account funding as part of its services. The process is straightforward through the InmateAid platform and the team can walk you through the steps if you run into any questions along the way.

The key pieces of information you need before making a deposit are the inmate's full legal name, their inmate ID number, and the facility name. Having those three things ready makes the deposit process quick, regardless of which service you use.