Denver County Jail, CO Inmate Commissary (2025)

What is an Inmate Commissary?

Commissary, also known as Canteen, is the ‘store’ within a jail or prison where inmates can purchase items that they want or need to make their stay in jail or prison less of a burden.

Snacks and comfort foods, branded hygiene products they are used to, sneakers and t-shirts, prayer blankets, radios, headphones, television sets, tablets, stationary products and art supplies; depending on the facility, there are thousands of products to choose from.

Some jail and prison systems run their own commissary store, others contract out to companies that serve dozens or hundreds of jails, where inmates and/or their friends and families can purchase products through a website from home, or a kiosk or tablet within their facility.

What items can inmates purchase in jail and prison?

Food
• Cookies
• Pastries
• Candy
• Tuna and mackerel
• Coffee and Tea
• Soft drinks
• Energy drinks
• Pizza
• Hamburgers
• Chicken fingers
• Spices

Hygiene
• Shampoo
• Soap
• Shaving supplies
• Lotions
• Deodorant
• Oral care
• Toilet paper
• Nail care

Clothing
• Sweats
• Sneakers
• Shorts
• Underwear and bras
• Socks
• Jackets
• Hats

Electronics
• Televisions
• Radios
• Headphones
• Tablets
• Watches

Miscellaneous
• Playing cards
• Games
• Bibles
• Books
• Art supplies
• Stationery supplies
• Vaping products (only some states)
• Greeting cards

How much money can an inmate spend on commissary each month?

Generally, the maximum spend in jail is about $300 per month. Prisons allow a bit more as it is more of a permanent home, whereby jail is temporary. To find out how much an inmate in the Denver County Jail can spend each month, call 720-913-3600.

How often can inmates purchase commissary?

Some jails it's twice a week, others once a week or every other week. A lot of the online stores care pack companies are once a month. To find out the exact schedule for Denver County Jail, call 720-913-3600.

How can a friend or family member deposit money for an inmate in jail or prison?

Denver County Jail has its own methods for receiving money for inmates, and that information can be found above or by calling 720-913-3600 and asking, however all jails and prisons all receive money for an inmate’s trust and commissary account, as well as an account used for communications, pretty much the same way.

1. Mailing an inmate a money order or cashier’s check from a trusted source such as the Post Office, a local bank, or Western Union. The Money order should be be made out to either the inmate or the facility, with the inmate’s name and ID# on the memo line of the check.

When mailing a money order or cashier’s check, send it an envelope by itself. Never send it with a letter or photos for your inmate.

Never send personal checks or cash either.

2. Deposit cash or use a debit or credit card to send an inmate money using an ATM machine that is usually located in the lobby or visitation area of the facility.

3. Some jails have a reception desk or booth that is open during certain hours that they will list on their website. They will accept cash, money orders or cashier checks. Other facilities that don’t have a human manning the desk will have mail drop where you can leave a money order or check. No cash can be left in these boxes.

4. There are multiple companies that jails and prisons contract with which accept inmate deposits online, by mail or over the phone, or even in ATM machines you can find in check cashing stores and retail outlets across the country.

If one of these companies (listed in the next question) works with Denver County Jail, this information will be outlined above.

Who are the companies that jails use to send money to inmates?

There are many companies competing for the accounts of jail and prison inmates. Their intention is to alleviate the staffing and financial responsibility of handling inmate’s accounts. They usually charge a fee equal to 3-5% of the total deposit.

The companies, in alphabetical order, are:

Access Corrections
AllPaid (aka GovPayNet)
Care A Cell
Cash Bond Online
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
CommissaryDeposit.com
Correct Solutions Group
Correctpay
Ctel
Edevo
Express Account
gettingout
GTL
Inmate Canteen
InmateSales
JailATM
Jail Pack Store (McDaniel Supply)
Jailpayments.com
Jpay
NCIC
JailCanteen (Oasis)
Paytel
Pigeonly
Prodigy Sales
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Tennessee Business Enterprise
Tiger
Touchpay

How do I send an inmate money by mail?

To send an inmate money by mail you first have to have the money converted to a money order, preferably from the US Post Office, or a Cashier’s Check. Never send cash, and never send a personal check.
To find the address for sending money to an inmate, call the jail at 720-913-3600.

Can I send an inmate money online?

Almost every facility contracts with a company that helps friends and families of inmates send them money. The list can be found above.
To find out who Denver County Jail contracts with for inmate deposits, call them at 720-913-3600.

How expensive are items on commissary?

Items on commissary are no more expensive than they would be at a local Walmart store.

What is a Commissary deposit?

A commissary deposit is the money that a person on the outside deposits in an inmate’s trust account, so they can have money to spend on commissary and communication services.

How much money can inmate have in his commissary account?

The limit that an inmate can have in their commissary account is usually about $300.00. To find out what the limit is for Denver County Jail, call 720-913-3600.

Can I send an inmate a package or care pack??

Many jails contract with companies that send food, hygiene products and/or clothing to inmates. These can be purchased and sent by friends and family on a weekly or monthly basis.

You can only send items from the one that your jail has a contract with.

An inmate carepack is a pack of snacks and/or hygiene products that friends or family members of an inmate can purchase online and have shipped to an inmate. The carepack company needs to have a contract with the facility before it can be shipped to the inmate.

Check this page, the Money Page or the Commissary Page for further information, or call the jail at 720-913-3600 to see which one that the Denver County Jail works with.

Here are the commissary package companies, in alphabetical order, that provide this service to jails in the United States:

Access Securepak
Care A Cell
Commissary order
Correct Pay
Express Account
icare
Inmate Canteen
Jail ATM
Jail Pack Store (McDaniel Supply)
My Care Pack
Oasis (jailcanteen)
Prodigy Solutions
Tiger
Union Supply Direct

Can an inmate buy gifts on commissary?

Not really. Other than the basic supplies mentioned above there are no gifts other than greeting cards that they can fill out and mail to a friend, family or loved one.

Denver County Jail, CO Inmate Commissary (2025)

FAQs

How to put money on inmates books in Denver County Jail? ›

Funds for Inmates

This can be done online or by calling 1-866-230-7761. Please note that some of the money will be used to pay fees and fines.

What does $100 get you in jail? ›

The story also details some of what the inmates get in return for $100 a night: flat screen TVs, a computer and media room, and new beds. As recently as 2013, the city of Seal Beach took out an ad in a local weekly paper touting the amenities that come with its pay-to-stay program.

What can money buy you in jail? ›

Incarcerated people often purchase items sold in jail stores, called commissaries. Incarcerated people must pay for key necessities, such as stationary, stamps, soup, coffee, rice and beans, and hygiene items.

How much is $20 worth in jail? ›

Many times $20 is more than enough to help an inmate with standard commissary items, such as food and postage. If they are saving for a whopper of an expense, it is still a step toward what they are saving for.

How does an inmate know he has money on his books? ›

Notification from Family or Friends – Inmates may receive notifications from friends or family members who have deposited money into their commissary accounts. This could be through letters, phone calls, or visits, where the sender informs the inmate of the deposit.

How much money can prisoners have in their account? ›

The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) does not specify an upper limit on how much money a federal inmate can have in their prison account. Inmates can receive funds at a BOP-managed facility, which are deposited into their commissary accounts, by MoneyGram, Western Union, or U.S. Postal Service.

Do you get 200 when you go to jail? ›

When you head to jail, you do not collect $200, even if you pass GO to get to the space. If your piece lands in the actual Jail space during the course of a game without being sent there, you are "Just Visiting." There is no penalty for this and move forward on your next turn.

Do you have to pay $50 to get out of jail? ›

You can get out of jail by rolling a double, using a “Get out of jail free” card or paying a $50 fine. If you pay the fine, end your turn, then roll and move as normal on your next turn. If you fail to roll a double on your third turn in Jail, pay the banker $50 and move that number of spaces immediately.

How much is $100 worth in jail? ›

Commissary is once a week. The limit on commissary is $320 a month. I'd say the average prisoner spends about $25 a week at commissary. It is my educated opinion, that $100 shouldn't be expected to last longer than 1 month.

Can inmates get packages from Amazon? ›

Amazon.com makes deliveries to prisons. However, we recommend that you contact the prison first to confirm that they accept deliveries and to ask about any special policies they have. The label on the outside of the package should only state the destination address, Amazon.com company name, and return address.

Can you put money on your own books in jail? ›

Typically inmates are not allowed to possess cash; instead, they make purchases through an account with funds from money contributed by friends, family members, etc., or earned as wages. Typically, prisons set a maximum limit of funds that can be spent by each inmate on commissary.

Why do inmates ask for money? ›

So, what do they need money for? A lot, it turns out. Prisons typically provide the bare minimum when it comes to food, clothes, shoes and hygiene supplies. Some states provide items such as toothpaste, soap and limited amounts of letter-writing supplies only to the “indigent,” or those who have little to no money.

How much is a pack of ramen noodles in jail? ›

But, if you're incarcerated in a California state prison, a single package of Top Ramen purchased from the canteen is almost $1, according to canteen price lists from San Quentin.

Can inmates use the internet in jail? ›

Federal prison system

Messages are subject to monitoring. Currently all institutions operated by the Bureau of Prisons have TRULINCS. However outside of the TRULINCS program, nearly all states prohibit Internet use by inmates, severely limiting technology-based access to educational opportunities.

Why is stuff in jail so expensive? ›

People in prison make pennies on the dollar for their labor, and the high cost of food, hygiene products, and religious items are more expensive than the same items in the community. Prisons across the country not only allow markups, but they profit from markups through commissions.

How do I contact an inmate at Denver County Jail? ›

Inmate Telephone Calls

The Denver County Sheriff's Office uses a system called Global Tel Link for inmates to call collect, or use by using a prepaid account. Friends and family members of inmates can go to www.gtl.net, to learn more information or make deposits into inmates' accounts.

How do I send money through TouchPay for inmates? ›

Deposits to an inmate commissary account can be made 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Funds are typically available to the inmate within 24 hours. In order to deposit funds by telephone or online, you must first set up an account by calling TouchPay Payment Systems at 1-866-232-1899. deposit.

How much does JPay charge to send money to an inmate? ›

JPAY
StampsFee
1$0.35
15$5.25
30$10.00
60$18.00

What can inmates buy with JPay credits? ›

From this account, your incarcerated loved one can purchase:
  • A Tablet.
  • Songs and music albums.
  • Games.
  • (Rent) movies and TV shows.
  • Stamps.
  • Printout.

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