Whatcom County WA Jail

County Jail

Last Updated: March 21, 2024
Address
311 Grand Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225
Beds
300
County
Whatcom
Phone
360-676-6848
Fax
360-738-2494
Email
sheriff@co.whatcom.wa.us

Whatcom Co Jail is for County Jail offenders sentenced up to twenty four months.

All prisons and jails have Security or Custody levels depending on the inmate’s classification, sentence, and criminal history. Please review the rules and regulations for County - medium facility.

The phone carrier is Inmate Calling Solutions (ICSolutions), to see their rates and best-calling plans for your inmate to call you.

If you are seeking to send your inmate money for commissary, one recommended for this facility is JailATM. There is a fee for sending money, see their rates and limitations.

If you are unsure of your inmate's location, you can search and locate your inmate by typing in their last name, first name or first initial, and/or the offender ID number to get their accurate information immediately Registered Offenders

Satellite View of Whatcom County WA Jail

You can support your loved ones at Whatcom Co Jail on InmateAid, if you have any immediate questions contact the facility directly at 360-676-6848.

When someone you care about gets locked up, it's tough to figure out all the ins and outs of jail life. From sending mail to visiting, there are a lot of things to sort out. And getting info about the arrest? Not always easy. That's where this webpage comes in handy. It's here to help you get a handle on how things work at Whatcom County WA Jail so you can stay connected and support your loved one behind bars.

The Whatcom Co Jail is a detention center located at 311 Grand Ave Bellingham, WA which is operated locally by the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office and holds inmates awaiting trial or sentencing or both. Most of the sentenced inmates are here for less than two years. Whatcom County accepts inmates from surrounding towns, Bellingham Police Department, and the US Marshal's Service.

New detainees arrive at the jail regularly, with some being released on bail, placed under pretrial services caseloads, supervised by probation agencies, or released on recognizance with a court appearance agreement. Those who are not released await their court appearances at the jail, receiving accommodations including bedding and meals. You can see all the arrest records for Washington here.

The Corrections Bureau plays a pivotal role in the law enforcement infrastructure of Whatcom County, operating both the Whatcom County Jail and the Interim Work Center. The Whatcom County Jail, a maximum-security facility, is tasked with the detention of approximately 245 prisoners daily. Concurrently, the Interim Work Center accommodates an average of 130 inmates categorized as minimum or low-medium custody and alternative corrections inmates. Moreover, an average of 30 individuals per day are placed under Electronic Home Detention.

Correction Deputies within the Corrections Bureau are entrusted with the oversight of the jail's day-to-day operations, which encompass a wide array of responsibilities. These duties include managing the booking process, maintaining population control within the facility, overseeing meal distribution, coordinating medical care for inmates, facilitating prisoner transports, and ensuring security during court appearances. Additionally, Correction Deputies play a crucial role in the statewide transport chain, conducting daily trips to Skagit and Snohomish County jails as part of this interconnected system.

In addition to its custodial responsibilities, the Corrections Bureau is tasked with implementing alternative sentencing programs aimed at providing viable alternatives to traditional incarceration. Currently, the jail administers various programs such as home detention, work crew, and work release initiatives. These alternative sentencing programs not only contribute to reducing overcrowding in the jail but also offer offenders opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration into the community.

The Corrections Bureau is also responsible for facilitating alternative sentencing programs. Currently, the jail implements programs such as home detention, work crew and work release as alternatives to incarceration.

Acceptable items for U.S. Mail delivery include letters in white envelopes and US Postal money orders (in US funds), photographs, newspaper clippings, written documents forwarded for signature and legal mail between attorney and inmate. All other items are considered contraband and will result in the envelope, and it contents, being returned to the sender or investigated for a criminal violation.

Incoming mail is distributed within 24 hours of receiving, excluding weekends and holidays. Deputies will distribute mail directly to the person addressed. Inmates are limited to no more than 20 pieces of mail in their cell at any time. Incoming mail is opened and inspected for money and contraband. All U.S. funds will be deposited to the inmate’s trust fund account less any money is owed. Magazines must come directly from the publisher. Books must come from the publisher, Amazon.com.

Overall, the Corrections Bureau serves as a cornerstone in the criminal justice system of Whatcom County, balancing the imperative of public safety to promote rehabilitation and reduce recidivism through innovative programming and diligent oversight.

Inmate Locator

To utilize the Inmate Search page on InmateAid, begin by selecting the relevant prison facility in Washington. This allows you to view the current list of inmates housed at Whatcom County WA Jail.

The second section features the InmateAid Inmate Search tool, providing a user-generated database of inmates. You can access this resource to utilize any of InmateAid's services. If you require assistance in creating an inmate profile to maintain communication, please contact us at aid@inmateaid.com, and we'll gladly help you locate your loved one.

As a last resort, you might have to pay for that information if we do not have it. The Arrest Record Search will cost you a small amount, but their data is the freshest available and for that reason, they charge to access it.

Visitation Information

Video Visits from Home: Accept video visits on the go! Your incarcerated loved one can initiate a video visit from the tablet without needing to schedule ahead of time. You will need to create an account at gettingout.com and download the Getting Out mobile app to receive video visits. Be sure to be signed into the mobile app and have push notifications turned on.

Video visits from both the work center lobby and the main jail lobby are available Sunday – Saturday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

All onsite video visits take place in the visitation lobby and must be scheduled ahead of time. There is no charge for an onsite video visit. These can be scheduled by the visitor during open lobby hours. If a visit is scheduled for you, you will see it under the video visits app. You will need to accept the visit. Then at the scheduled time, the visitor can connect from the lobby, and all the tablets will have a pop-up notification displaying the name of the inmate who has a visit. That inmate can take a tablet to the docking station and log in to be connected to the visitor.

Ask The Inmate

Ask a former inmate questions at no charge. The inmate answering has spent considerable time in the federal prison system, state and county jails, and in a prison that was run by the private prison entity CCA. Ask your question or browse previous questions in response to comments or further questions of members of the InmateAid community.