News from Oconee County’s lockup
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is announcing that the Oconee County Detention Center has a new inmate communications service provider. Due to this change, family and friends will have to create a new account in order to communicate with someone who is incarcerated.
CIDNET, powered by Encartele, is the new provider and is providing video visits, messages and phone calls. In order to use these services, those who have loved ones inside of the Detention Center will have to create an account and provide money to an inmate’s account in order to communicate.
These are the steps in order to create a CIDNET account:
1) Go to customer.cidnet.net/ via your web browser.
2) Click the Register button
3) Type in your Email, Time Zone and First and Last Name
4) Click the Create Account button
5) Read the Terms of Use, then click Agree
6) Login to your e-mail and open the CIDNET e-mail.
7) In the e-mail, click the Complete Your Verification link
8) Choose a Security PIN and a Password
9) Click the Sign In button
After someone creates their account, they will have to take steps to complete the account, fill out some general information, add a phone number and verify it, add a photo ID, link with the inmate at the Oconee County Detention Center (the request with be submitted to the Detention Center for approval).
After approval, data will have to be purchased since the CIDNET services are based on the amount of data transmitted. The data must be purchased through the inmate account and money can be deposited into an inmate’s account via jaildeposits.com or through the kiosk that is located at the main entrance of the Oconee County Detention Center.
According to Kim Rutz, Inmate Programs/Visitation Coordinator, 70 gigs of data can be purchased for about .18 cents a gig. Under the previous Inmate Communications Provider, phone calls were .21 cents per minute. According to Mrs. Rutz, CIDNET uses data, instead of minutes, which is more consumer friendly.
Mrs. Rutz goes on to say that, since switching to CIDNET, the Detention Center has seen visitations go up significantly. The inmate population has been able to communicate with their family more often. Part of the new features includes a mail option, which is similar to texting, and according to Mrs. Rutz, which helps to reduce the likelihood of contraband being introduced into the Detention Center which contributes to further safety and security inside.
After completing the process, family and friends will be able to view what communication services are being provided, by the Detention Center, through CIDNET. The Detention Center reminds everyone that calls and messages are recorded and monitored and privileges may be revoked for violation of facility guidelines.
According to the Detention Center staff, visitors can come on site for two visits per week; however, there are unlimited visits for family and friends to communicate with an inmate from their home. Each unit inside the Detention Center has two phones. There is also no direct person to person communication at the Detention Center and all visits much be scheduled ahead of time. There are also no collect calls that are allowed to be made.
Since the Detention Center began its operations inside its current facility in January of 2016, there has been no face to face visitation between the inmate population and the public.
Those with any further questions are asked to call Kim Rutz, the Inmate Programs/Visitation at the Oconee County Detention Center, at 864-718-1094.