FAQs

An inmate may order and receive commissary up to two times per week. Depending on their housing location, commissary is delivered to the inmate population weekly, Tuesday through Friday.

There are approximately 140 items available through Commissary. Categories include personal care, hair care, snacks, nuts and chips, beverages, candy, food items, stationery supplies, and greeting cards.

Inmates can receive stamps and blank envelopes by doing one of the following:

1) Purchase from commissary using an order slip,

2) Ordered and paid for by a friend or family member, and then mailed directly to the inmate from https://www.usps.com/, or

3) Sent directly from an attorney or Public Defender's Office.

Yes. Upon being arrested, all personal belongings in your possession are placed into Property. An inmate may write an Inmate Message Slip to the cashier requesting a transfer of your money from Property to your account with the cashier.

This depends on when money was placed into an inmate's account and the time the commissary order was placed. Often, money is placed into accounts after orders have been processed. Another reason why this occurs may be due to an inmate being transferred to another facility. Should this happen, then the order will be delivered at the next scheduled delivery for that facility. Any questions related to an inmate’s account balance, an inmate can submit an Inmate Message Slip to the cashier requesting their account balance.

This depends on when the cashier enters the information. An inmate can write an Inmate Message Slip to the cashier requesting the status of their account or they may place an order. If the money has not been entered into the inmate’s account on the scheduled delivery day, then the Commissary delivery team will issue a receipt notifying the inmate that they have non-sufficient funds.

This transaction usually takes one to three business days.

An inmate may only order a Welfare Pack if they have less than $3.60 on their account. An inmate may request a Welfare Pack by bubbling in on the upper right-hand corner of the commissary order slip. Inmates can order Welfare Packs only once a week.

An inmate can track their receipts or write an Inmate Message Slip to the cashier requesting their account balance.

A maximum of $500.00.

When an inmate is going to be released within the next couple of days and they refuse their Commissary order, their money will usually be placed back on their books within the next business day. However, this transaction may take two to three days.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has a registered dietitian on staff that analyzes the nutrient content of menus and makes sure it meets California state guidelines. The Food Services manager approves these menus.

About 2600 calories. Title 15 is the governing regulatory guideline that was established by the State of California for all County and State institutions that house inmates. They reference two sources for guidance – 2019 Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) of the Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine of the National academies, and the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Food Services provide a variety of medical diets for various conditions such as renal failure, diabetes, and high blood pressure, among others. In addition, the regular inmate menu is less than 30% fat of total calories and less than 10% saturated fat. The sodium content of the mainline menu has been reduced to 3500 milligrams overall.

To request enrollment for classes and/or activities, an inmate may submit an Inmate Message Slip or talk to a Programs staff member or sworn personnel. An inmate can also talk to their instructors about other classes or speak with their pastoral counselors.

Yes, all the class topics are offered at all the facilities. Classes may be offered as face-to-face instruction or correspondence packets.

All classes and activities are voluntary.

Any inmate who has a willingness to succeed can participate in these services.

Inmates who participate in programming while in custody and have a sentence ending date may qualify for partial funding to attend specific residential treatment programs upon release.