health & wellness
Healthcare: Health care for inmates at the DeKalb County Jail includes medical, dental, mental health services, and access to prescription medications and nutritional supplements. DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office health care staff conduct intake screenings on all patients, develop a treatment and discharge plan for all chronic care patients, and offer in-house dialysis. inmates can confidentially request health services through electronic monitors inside the housing units and in writing.
Food Services: Inmates receive free, freshly prepared meals three times a day. Additional snack items are available at a minimal cost from the jail commissary service. special diets are available with prior approval for medical or religious needs.
Personal Services: Each inmate is provided with a hygiene kit, shoes, and appropriate clothing, which is washed frequently or replaced as needed. licensed barbers provide supervised services to inmates on weekdays. equipment is sterilized after each cut and costs are paid by the inmate, unless the inmate is considered indigent.
recreation & improvement of quality of life
Recreation: All inmates are offered one hour of recreational activity each day. In addition to color television and game tables inside each housing unit, inmates can go to a supervised outdoor recreation area where they have access to basketball and physical exercise. chess and checkers games are available through the inmate commissary.
Library: The jail library provides an on-site resource to assist inmates with legal research, as well as a variety of reading materials, forms, and legal documents. our inmate services staff brings a “lending library” cart of books and magazines to the housing units every day.
options for living & learning: dekalb county jail offers a model program of special classes designed to benefit the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of inmates while they await trial. the “options for living & Learning” was started by Sheriff Mann in 2014 and creates access to information as well as positive social interaction among inmates. 8-week classes for male and female inmates include yoga, chess, poetry and short story writing, thinking discussion/certificate for a change, and art and music appreciation. About 23 percent of all male and female inmates participate in the volunteer classes.
personal property, mail and money accounts
The following information will help you provide certain types of assistance and support to dekalb county jail inmates while awaiting trial or serving sentences.
Inmate Commissary Accounts: Inmates may purchase additional food, personal items, and games in the jail commissary with money from personal accounts established at the time of the inmate’s admission. Authorized individuals can make deposits into these accounts and balances are refunded upon release.
Retrieval of Inmate Property: An inmate may authorize a person to retrieve items of his personal property in an emergency within the first seven (7) days of incarceration. The public may pick up these items once the inmate completes a signed release Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. m. to 2:00 p.m. m.
As of July 1, 2012, all incoming and outgoing mail to dekalb county jail inmates, with the exception of legal mail, must be in the form of a postage-paid or metered postcard. the procedural change is being implemented to ensure the safety of the jail.
Sending mail to an inmate: Inmate mail should be sent as follows:
(inmate’s full name – required) (inmate’s cell location and spn number) dekalb county jail 4415 memorial drive decatur, georgia 30032
Mail Requirements: For security purposes, please follow these standards when sending mail to inmates across the us. uu. Postal Service. mail that does not meet these standards may be returned to the sender. these requirements do not apply to legal mail.
- only postcards may be used to communicate with inmates across the us. uu. mail.
- postage must be metered or stamps must be pre-printed. sticky or affixed stamps will not be accepted.
- postcards must be a minimum size of 3 ½ inches by 4 ¼ inches and a maximum size of 4 ¼ inches by 6 inches.
- actual postcard must be white.
- messages must be written in blue or black ink only.
- defaced or altered postcards will not be accepted (postcards with plastic or wrappers; postcards marked with paint, crayons or markers; post cards with self-adhesive labels, watermarks, or smudges; post cards with biohazards, including perfume or lipstick; post cards that depict nudity, weapons, or gang references; post cards that contain a stamp affixed).
Depositing money to an inmate’s account: Money can be deposited into an inmate’s account in three ways:
- make a direct deposit using cash or a debit card at a kiosk in the jail lobby or visitor center lobby
- make deposits using the touchpay™ service. call 866-232-1899 or online at touchpaydirect.com
- send a money order to the jail using these procedures: 1) western union or u.s. money orders up to seventy-five dollars ($75.00) are accepted. 2) The envelope must be clearly marked “Inmate Accounting”. 3) Additional correspondence with incoming funds from inmates will not be accepted. 4) If additional contents are found in the envelope, the entire package will be returned to the sender.