Calls To Inmates – Thurston County Corrections Facility & Nisqually Jail

Communication with a loved one in jail can be tricky. Every city, county, state and federal corrections facility will have different services and rules. It is important to call the correction facility directly during business hours to find out how and when you can contact your loved one.

Generally speaking, Thurston County Corrections Facility will hold inmates who have been arrested for felony criminal charges, inmates awaiting trial or sentencing, and inmates waiting to be transferred to state or federal facilities.

If your loved one was arrested for DUI/DWI, they are likely at the Nisqually Corrections facility. However, if the DUI involved an accident that resulted in serious bodily injury or death to someone, the charge will likely be a felony and the accused could be at the Thurston County Corrections facility.

The information below is fairly clear and explains how you can use the prepaid GTL service so the inmate can reach you. However, be aware that, if the arrest just occurred, the follow up investigation at the station (in DUI cases) as well as the booking process may take several hours. Additionally, depending on the hours of the booking, there may be limited access to telephones.

“The Thurston County Corrections Facility contracts with GTL, an outside vendor, for inmate telephone service to provide simple and reliable communication between inmates and their friends and family, which is rooted in the power of relationships. The purpose for contracting these services through a private vendor is to provide a supportive and friendly conduit for making connections, fortifying relationships so inmates get out and stay out. It is our hope that this service will allow inmates to maintain personal communications and ties with friends and families to facilitate their future transition from jail life to community life. This page provides some of the very basic information. For in depth information or questions please contact GTL directly at www.gettingout.com or toll free at 1-866-516-0115. Representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/sheriff/corrections-bureau

The Thurston County Corrections website offers some guidance regarding inmates’ access to telephones:

“Inmates use telephones that are located throughout the jail housing units to place outgoing calls. Each housing unit has specific rules concerning the location of telephones, hours of use, and the length of calls allowed. Some basic rules for inmates:

• General population inmates have access to telephones during the day time with the exception of mealtime and during the facility count process. Other restrictions apply to inmates that are in a specialized classification or housing unit.
• Inmates cannot receive calls.
• Corrections staff will not relay messages.
• Inmates may place collect calls (subject to fees from your phone service provider) or they may use the GTL prepaid phone account service.
• Inmates are not allowed to make 3-way calls, unwanted calls or calls that would violate any law or court order.
• Inmates may receive voicemail messages from friends and family (restrictions apply – contact GTL).
• All calls will be recorded if consent is granted (inmates and callers must push 1 to accept the recording stipulation). The exception to this are attorney calls if the attorney has registered their number with the GTL Telephone Administrator at theThurston County Corrections Facility and it has been confirmed. IF IN DOUBT, PLEASE CONTACT THE FACILITY IMMEDIATELY!!!
• TTY services for the hearing impaired are available upon request.”
• https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/sheriff/corrections-bureau

If you are arrested in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater or the Thurston county area for a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor and awaiting your Arraignment, you will likely be booked into Nisqually Corrections Center.

I wish I could say Nisqually was as helpful as Thurston County Corrections but, unfortunately, every call I made was like pulling teeth. When I did reach someone, it felt like a bad cross-exam. The corrections officer was really good with only two word answers, which primarily consisted of “negative, ma’am.”

So, the following is our best guess as to how to reach a loved one at the Nisqually Corrections facility.

First, try starting with the GettingOut.com website. You set up a profile and, apparently, it is straightforward. We suggest looking at the more detailed information provided by Thurston County Corrections.

If you are able to reach your loved one, do not discuss the case! Other than calls with attorneys, all calls are recorded (FYI, most attorneys still will not discuss details of a case over a jail phone).

We have actually been provided jail recordings as part of Discovery in a case. So, trust us, the prosecutor will use your statements made during phone conversations against you!

Second, if you need to put money on the inmates card/account, that can be done through GettingOut.com (although we do not have feedback on this). The corrections officer at Nisqually was asked if a loved one could come there and set up an account and that was “negative, ma’am.”

Third, if you are trying to visit rather than call, be aware that there have been changes since covid. Changes continue to happen so it is best to reach out to the facility to learn about the most up to date options.

The following information is from the Thurston County Corrections page but the corrections officer at Nisqually also mentioned using GettingOut.com for communications.

“The public visitation stations at the Thurston County Corrections Facility have been closed until further notice. ViaPath has provided 60 minutes of free remote (from home) visitation per inmate, per week. If you need to add funds to the inmates ViaPath account, set up an account, or schedule a visit, you may do so at the kiosk located inside the Main Jail Bail door or online at www.gettingout.com. For information on how to visit from home please visit www.gettingout.com.”

https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/sheriff/corrections-bureau

The following quote is from the Nisqually Corrections regarding Inmates Phones, Visitation and Tablets (FYI, there does not appear to be a link to GTL on their site).

“The inmate phone, video and tablet systems are owned and operated by GTL. Please see the below link for additional information and how to contact friends and family. Use of the systems are subject to the rules of the facility and terms of service established by GTL.”

http://www.nisqually-nsn.gov/index.php/administration/tribal-services/public-safety/department-corrections/

Finally, do not use the listed phone number for Nisqually. If you have searched for the facility, you likely found (360) 459-9603 as the contact number. That number rings once and hangs up. Try using (360) 413-3019.

If there is a serious health risk for the inmate and you have called numerous times and been unsuccessful in reaching medical, you (if local) could try the non-emergency number for cencom (if you call 911, you must tell them it is a non-emergency) and see if they can assist in reaching an officer or someone at the corrections location.

If you are facing a DUI, Assault 4th Degree – Domestic Violence, Theft, or other misdemeanor offense in Thurston County, Kitsap County, Clark County or the cities in those areas such as Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Bremerton, Poulsbo, Port Orchard, Vancouver and Battle Ground reach out immediately to see how we can help. We are here 7 days a week to take calls. (360) 792-1000