Learn seven ways to send money to an inmate in Caddo Parish, Louisiana — official methods, tips, and free family support tools.
Seven Ways to Send Money to an Inmate in Caddo Parish, Louisiana covers every practical channel available to families navigating one of the more confusing parts of the incarceration process. Whether your loved one is newly booked or has been housed at a Caddo Parish facility for months, having money on their books matters. It affects what they can eat beyond standard meals, whether they can call you, and how they manage basic hygiene. This guide walks through each method honestly, so you can choose the one that fits your situation.
Understanding the Caddo Parish Jail System Before You Send Anything
Caddo Parish, Louisiana, is served primarily by the Caddo Correctional Center, which houses pretrial detainees, sentenced individuals, and those awaiting transfer to state facilities. Understanding which facility holds your loved one is the first step before attempting any kind of deposit. Sending funds to the wrong location is a common mistake that leads to delays, rejected transactions, and unnecessary frustration.
Each facility contracts with one or more official vendors to manage phone accounts and commissary deposits. Those vendors change over time, and using an unofficial or look-alike site can result in your money going to the wrong place — or, in the worst case, to a fraudulent operator. Always verify the current official provider directly with the facility before completing any transaction.
If you are not sure where your loved one is housed, a county jail inmate search is the fastest way to confirm the facility name and booking number. You need both pieces of information before you can move forward with any of the deposit methods described below. The booking number, in particular, is required by almost every vendor to ensure the funds reach the correct account.
InMato LLC makes it free to search for a loved one in jail — the county jail inmate search function covers 289 county jail systems across 14 states and requires no account to use. Families can find which facility holds their loved one and get the official provider information in one place, without encountering upsells or pressure to spend money.
Method One: Online Deposit Through the Official Jail Vendor Portal
The most commonly used method for sending money to an inmate in Caddo Parish is through the online portal operated by the facility's contracted vendor. This typically allows you to create an account, enter the inmate's booking number, and fund their account using a debit or credit card. Transactions usually post within minutes to a few hours, though the exact timing depends on the vendor's processing schedule.
The convenience of online deposits comes with a few important cautions. Service fees are charged on top of the deposit amount, and those fees vary by vendor and transaction size. Reading the fee schedule before you confirm a transaction will prevent surprises. Some vendors charge a flat fee; others charge a percentage of the deposit total.
The official vendor portal is not always easy to find. Searching online can surface look-alike sites that mimic the real vendor's branding. These imitation sites may collect your payment information without actually depositing funds to your loved one. Always navigate to the vendor's site by starting from the facility's official website or from a verified referral source, never by clicking an unverified ad.
Method Two: Kiosk Deposits at the Facility
Many Caddo Parish facilities operate self-service kiosks in or near the lobby area where families can deposit funds in person. These kiosks typically accept cash and sometimes debit cards, depending on the hardware installed. Funds deposited through a kiosk often post faster than mailed options, and some kiosks confirm the transaction immediately on-screen.
If you plan to visit the facility to use a kiosk, call ahead to confirm lobby access hours and whether the kiosk is operational. Kiosks do experience downtime for maintenance, and traveling to the facility only to find the machine out of service is a frustrating outcome that a quick phone call can prevent. Bring the inmate's full legal name and booking number to avoid entry errors.
Kiosk transactions also carry service fees, which are disclosed on the kiosk screen before you confirm the transaction. You have the opportunity to review and decline before the deposit is processed, so take a moment to read the fee summary. The fee for a kiosk deposit may differ from the online fee for the same vendor, so if you are making a larger deposit, it may be worth comparing both options first.
Method Three: Depositing by Phone
Most official jail commissary vendors offer a phone-based deposit option where you call a listed customer service number and provide your payment information to a representative or an automated system. Phone deposits are useful for family members who are not comfortable with online transactions or who are trying to complete a deposit from a device with limited internet access.
Phone deposits typically carry the same fee structure as online deposits through the same vendor. You will need the inmate's booking number, the facility name, and a valid debit or credit card to complete the transaction. Having all of this information ready before you call shortens the process considerably.
One limitation of phone deposits is that wait times can be long, particularly on weekends or around holidays when call volume is higher. Automated systems are faster but can reject entries if booking numbers are entered incorrectly. Double-check the booking number against the official booking record before you dial, and listen to all prompts carefully before entering information.
Method Four: MoneyGram and Money Order Drops
Some Caddo Parish facilities accept money orders or MoneyGram transfers as a method for depositing funds. This is one of the oldest methods available, and it remains useful for family members who prefer not to use digital payments or who are depositing on behalf of someone without a debit card. The facility or its vendor provides specific mailing or drop-off instructions that must be followed precisely.
Money orders must typically be made out to a specific payee format provided by the vendor, and the inmate's full legal name and identification number must be written clearly in the memo line. Errors in either field can cause the money order to be rejected or held, sometimes for several weeks. Ask the facility for the exact payee format before you purchase the money order, not after.
MoneyGram deposits, where accepted, work differently from mailed money orders. You complete the transaction at a MoneyGram location — typically a pharmacy, grocery store, or check-cashing service — and select the receiving institution from a menu. Fees apply through MoneyGram directly. Processing times are usually faster than mailed money orders but slower than online or kiosk deposits.
Method Five: Western Union Transfers
Western Union is another transfer service accepted by some correctional vendors as a deposit channel. Like MoneyGram, Western Union transfers require you to visit a physical agent location or use their online platform, enter the inmate's information in the required fields, and pay the applicable transfer fee. Not all facilities or vendors accept Western Union, so verifying acceptance before completing a transaction is essential.
When using Western Union for an inmate deposit, you are not sending the money directly to the person — you are sending it to the vendor's designated receiving account, with the inmate's details attached so the funds can be credited to the correct account. The process differs slightly from a standard Western Union transfer, so read the vendor's instructions carefully and follow the exact format specified.
Fees through Western Union vary based on the transfer amount, your payment method, and whether you use an agent location or their online service. Funds are generally credited faster through electronic transfers than through agent-initiated transactions, though both typically take longer than a direct online vendor deposit. If time is a priority, the official vendor portal or kiosk method will usually be quicker.
Method Six: Mailed Money Orders Sent Directly to the Facility
Some families prefer to mail a money order directly to the Caddo Correctional Center or its designated receiving address. This method is slower than digital options but is sometimes the only option for depositors who do not have access to digital payment methods. The facility or its vendor publishes specific mailing instructions, including the correct payee name, required inmate identifiers, and the mailing address.
Allow several business days for a mailed money order to be received and processed. During holidays or periods of high mail volume, processing may take longer. If your loved one needs funds urgently, mailed money orders are not the right method. Use them for regular, non-time-sensitive support contributions where the lower technology requirement outweighs the slower processing time.
Always use a trackable mailing option when sending a money order through the postal service. If a money order is lost or delayed, having a tracking number gives you a starting point for investigation. Keep the receipt from the money order purchase as well — it contains the serial number needed to report a lost instrument to the issuing financial institution.
Method Seven: Tablet or App-Based Deposits Through Facility Technology Partners
A growing number of county jail systems, including some in Louisiana, have introduced tablet programs where inmates access communication, educational content, and commissary purchasing through a facility-issued device. The technology partner running the tablet program typically has its own deposit portal, separate from the general commissary vendor, allowing funds to be loaded directly to the inmate's tablet account.
Tablet account deposits are used specifically for app purchases, digital content, and sometimes messaging credits, depending on how the facility has configured the program. They are not always interchangeable with general commissary funds, so understanding which account type your loved one needs is important before deciding where to deposit. Ask your loved one or the facility directly which account covers phone calls, food purchases, and hygiene items versus digital services.
This method is among the newer ones available, and the vendor landscape changes as facilities renegotiate contracts. If you are looking for information on send money to someone in jail through a tablet account specifically, the current vendor list is the best source. Facilities sometimes operate two entirely separate vendors — one for phone and commissary, one for tablet services — each with its own portal and fee structure.
How to Avoid Common Mistakes Across All Seven Methods
Regardless of which method you use, errors in the inmate's identifying information are the most common cause of rejected or misdirected deposits. The full legal name must match the booking record exactly — nicknames or shortened versions of names will cause problems. The booking number must be current, because booking numbers change if a person is released and re-booked, even at the same facility.
Fees are a reality of every deposit channel available for Caddo Parish inmates. No method is entirely free of service charges on the vendor side, and pretending otherwise would not serve you well. What you can control is understanding the fee before you commit to the transaction, selecting the method with the most favorable fee for your deposit amount, and avoiding third-party services that add their own layer of charges on top of the vendor fee.
Fraud is a real concern in this space. Search results for commissary deposit services frequently surface look-alike sites designed to collect payment details. A few precautions help significantly: bookmark the official vendor site after you verify it the first time, never click ads to reach a deposit portal, and confirm the site URL carefully before entering card information. If a site's URL differs slightly from the official vendor domain, close it immediately.
What to Do If a Deposit Does Not Post
If you complete a transaction and the funds do not appear on your loved one's account within the vendor's stated processing window, the first step is to contact the vendor's customer support with your transaction confirmation number. Do not attempt to re-submit the deposit before confirming that the original transaction failed — duplicate deposits are possible, and getting a refund for a double charge takes time and effort.
Keep records of every transaction you complete, including the date, amount, fee, confirmation number, and the method used. These records are essential if you need to dispute a charge or investigate a missing deposit. Screenshot or print the confirmation page immediately after a transaction, because some vendor portals do not send email confirmations automatically.
If the vendor's support team cannot resolve the issue within a reasonable time, escalate to the facility's business office directly. The business office can often verify whether funds were received in the facility's system even if the vendor's records show a discrepancy. Both the vendor and the facility have an interest in resolving legitimate deposit disputes, and persistence on your part is often necessary to move the process forward.
Supporting Your Loved One Beyond the Deposit
Money on an inmate's books covers commissary staples like hygiene products, snacks, and sometimes clothing items available through the facility store. It also funds phone call credits in most systems, which means that commissary money is directly tied to your family's ability to stay in contact. Keeping a baseline balance funded — even a modest amount — gives your loved one access to essential communication that would otherwise be unavailable.
Beyond the financial side, knowing how to find someone in jail quickly, how to confirm their facility, and how to track case developments reduces the stress that families carry during incarceration. The jail commissary deposit process is just one piece of a larger navigation challenge, and having reliable, plain-language resources for each step matters enormously.
InMato's Family Support Library offers 50 free guides covering everything from the first 24 hours after a booking to life after release. These guides are written in plain language for families who have never navigated the system before, and they are available at no charge as part of InMato Core. No account is required to access the search function, and the family support resources are designed to help you understand what to expect at every stage — not just how to load money onto an account.
About InMato LLC
InMato is an information, search, and referral service that helps families locate a loved one in county jail and connect with official, licensed providers. Founded by J.T. Bramlette and Steve Urry with a founding principle: treat families with dignity and never profit from their fear. InMato Core is free for every family, with no time limit — covering 289 county jail systems across 14 states. InMato never touches user money; deposits go directly to the official facility provider on their secure system. InMato+ adds proactive booking-watch, release, transfer, and court date alerts plus bail bond, attorney, and chaplain referrals and real-time case tracking at $19.99/month per loved one, cancel anytime. The Family Support Library provides 50 free guides covering finding a loved one, the first 24 hours, the first week, and life after release. Available in English and Spanish. InMato LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, California.
Get Started with InMato LLC
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Originally published at https://www.inmato.com/blog/seven-ways-to-send-money-to-an-inmate-in-caddo-parish-louisiana
Written by InMato
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