A person who is incarcerated is typically able to order food and other products through the jail or prison commissary process. This is normally done with paper order forms or at the online kiosk located in the housing pod.
But did you know that family and friends can order food and other products directly and have them sent to the inmate?
There are special programs that correctional facilities use to allow this. Access Corrections offers a program called Access Securepak®. Access Securepak® is a way that you can send food & snacks, personal hygiene products, clothing & apparel, and electronics directly to an incarcerated person.
There are hundreds, maybe thousands of products available to be ordered. Each jail or prison will have their own guidelines and rules on what products are available to order, as well as order and delivery timelines. Available products include both brand names as well as products designed specifically for the corrections industry.
The main differences between Access Securepak® and a normal commissary order are: (1) the different products that are available and, (2) the Access Securepak® order is completed and paid by family or friends and sent directly to the corrections facility to be delivered to the inmate on a set day (usually on commissary day). The inmate will be given the opportunity to inspect the package and report any missing items – for replacement or reimbursement of funds.
The list of products available from the inmate’s commissary list (ordering in their pod) and the list of products available online from Access Securepak® are not exactly the same. Ordering some items thru Access Securepak® may be more cost effective because there are larger sizes available – for example: a 10oz bag of nacho cheese tortilla chips costs about $2.50 vs. $.81 for a 1.5 oz bag of the same chips. The inmate can’t order the larger bag of chips, so he or she has to rely on an Access Securepak® order to get the larger item.
In most cases, an order from Access Securepak® counts towards an inmate’s maximum allowable commissary expense. In addition, there are also limits on the amount ($) of the Access Securepak® order. These can be weekly, monthly, or quarterly limits.
For example, in Montgomery County, Maryland (MCDC and MCCF), the maximum amount of total commissary an inmate can get each week is $75.00. And the weekly limit for an Access Securepak® order is $25. So if a family or friend places a $25 order thru Access Securepak®, it is important that the inmate knows and is aware. Otherwise, if the inmate places more than a $50 order that same week, the total will go over $75 ($25 for Access Securepak® plus $50+ for a commissary order placed by the inmate) – and one of the orders will not be delivered and may cause some confusion and frustration.
Below is a partial list of some of the current limits – just for Access Securepak® orders- among some different facilities in Maryland.
- Maryland Department of Corrections (DOC) prisons – $100 per inmate per quarter
- Prince George’s County Detention Center – $50 per week
- Montgomery County Detention Center (MCDC) and Jail (MCCF) – $25 per week
- Howard County Detention Center – $85 per week
- Anne Arundel County Detention Center – $35 per week
Every order has a processing fee of $6.95. In addition there may be sales tax on some items. Orders can be placed using major credit cards, debit cards, or prepaid cards (with a registered and verified United States address). Because of the processing fee ($6.95), many people have found it’s not worth it to place a $10 or $15 order. We recommend placing a larger order (closer to the maximum amount allowed) to help keep costs down and avoid multiple orders per week or month.
Orders can be placed 24/7 online at http://www.accesscatalog.com or by calling 1-800-546-6283 (support available in either English or Spanish). Keep in mind even though a large majority of prisons and jails use the Access Corrections program, not all of them do.
If you have a loved one incarcerated in jail or prison and have questions about commissary, putting money on an account, or any other in-jail (or in-prison) issues, contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation.