HEALTH & WELLNESS

HEALTH CARE – Health care for inmates at the DeKalb County Jail includes medical, dental services, mental health services, and access to prescribed pharmaceutical drugs and nutritional supplements.   The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Health Care staff conducts an intake screenings on all patients, develops a treatment and discharge plan for all chronic care patients, and offers in-house dialysis.  Inmates can confidentially request health services through electronic monitors within the housing units and in writing.

FOOD SERVICES—Inmates receive free, freshly-prepared meals three times each day.  Additional snack food items are available at a minimal cost from the jail commissary service.  Special diets are available upon approval for medical or religious needs.

PERSONAL SERVICES- Each inmate is issued a hygiene kit, shoes, and appropriate clothing, which is laundered 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 deemed indigent.

RECREATION & QUALITY OF LIFE ENHANCEMENT

RECREATION – All inmates are offered one hour of recreational activity each day.  In addition to color television and tables for games inside each housing unit, inmates can go to a supervised open-air recreation area where they have access to basketball and physical exercise.  Chess and checker games are available through the inmate commissary.

LIBRARY- The jail library provides an on-site resource for assistance with legal research for inmates, as well as a variety of reading materials, forms and legal documents.  Our inmate services staff takes a “lending library” cart of books and magazines to housing units daily.

OPTIONS FOR LIVING & LEARNING –The DeKalb County Jail provides a model program of special classes designed to benefit the mental, emotional and physical well-being of inmates as they await trial.  The “Options for Living & Learning” series was initiated by Sheriff Mann in 2014, and creates access to information as well as positive social interaction among inmates. The 8-week classes for both male and female inmates include yoga, chess, poetry and short story writing, Thinking for a Change discussion/certificate,  and art and music appreciation. Some 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 for DeKalb County Jail inmates as they await trial or serve sentences.

INMATE COMMISSARY ACCOUNTS – Inmates can purchase additional food items, personal items and games from the jail commissary with money from personal accounts established at intake by the inmate. Authorized persons can make deposits to these accounts and balances are refunded on release.

RETRIEVING INMATE PROPERTY – An inmate may authorize a person to retrieve items from his/her personal property in case of emergency within the first seven (7) days of incarceration. The public may pick up these items once the inmate completes a signed release Monday-Friday 7:00am until 2:00pm.

Effective July, 1, 2012, all incoming and outgoing mail to the DeKalb County Jail inmates, with the exception of legal mail, must be in pre-stamped or metered postcard form. The procedural change is being implemented to ensure the safety and security of the jail.

SENDING MAIL TO AN INMATE – Inmate mail should be addressed 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 safety and security purposes, follow these standards when sending mail to inmates through the U.S. 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 can be used to contact inmates through the U.S. Mail.
  • Postage must be metered or stamps must be pre-printed. Adhesive or glued 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.
  • The 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 wrappings; postcards marked with paint, crayon, or markers; postcards with labels stickers, watermarks, or stains; postcards with biohazards, including perfumes or lipsticks; postcards depicting nudity, weapons, or gang reference; postcards containing an affixed stamp).

DEPOSITING MONEY TO AN INMATE ACCOUNT – Money can be deposited to an inmate account in three ways:

  1. Make a direct deposit using cash or a debit card at a kiosk in the jail lobby or the Visitation Center lobby
  2. Make deposits using TouchPay™ service. Call 866-232-1899 or online at touchpaydirect.com
  3. Send a Money Order to the jail using these procedures: 1) Only Western Union or U.S. Postal money orders for up to seventy-five dollars ($75.00) are accepted. 2) The envelope must be clearly marked “INMATE ACCOUNTING.” 3) No additional correspondence will be accepted with incoming inmate funds. 4) If additional contents are located in the envelope, the entire package will be returned to sender.