Bay County Jail – Bay City, MI

Bay County Jail is in Bay County, MI and is the main correctional facility for that region. Do you know somebody at Bay County Jail? This page will tell you information about everything one might want to know about Bay County Jail,like: Learn how to locate an inmate. Find mugshots and inmate photos. The jail’s phone number and address. Bailing out of jail. Intake procedures. Court records. And lots more.

The thought of getting arrested and going to jail is a scary and stressful prospect, not only for whoever is incarcerated, but also their friends and family. This guide is meant to offer information that you’ll need to make helping a friend or family member get out of jail a little less stressful. If you have questions, please feel free to ask it, and any comments or tips that could help other people in the same situation would be appreciated.

Do you have a family member, loved one, or friend that is locked up and need to contact them?

Has someone that’s been arrested and you need to find them?

To find out who is in jail at Bay County Jail you will need to go to their web site and do an inmate lookup.

The Bay County Jail Inmate Lookup has information on persons who have been arrested and are in custody, including custody status, bail amount (if applicable), and times the inmate can have visitors. Also, you are able to find info about anyone who has been arrested or released in the past 24-hour period. Prisoners are shown in alphabetical order by their last name. You can locate their arrest information quicker if you enter their first and last name, date of birth, or inmate ID Number.

If the inmate you are looking for might be at another county jail you will want to look here, too: Michigan County Jails Directory

A mugshot, also called a intake photograph, is a photograph that the jail takes when you are processed at the jail intake. They will take one full face and a side picture. Your full name and jail booking number will be on the photos, and they are on file.

Mugshots of people who have been arrested can be viewed on the Bay County Jail website, or you can go in person to the Bay County Jail. When you search for mugshots on the website you will need to input the prisoner’s full name, and the booking date.

Want to get your mugshot erased from the Bay County Jail site? This will be difficult, because your mugshot is a matter of public record. You need to file a Petition to Expunge with the court. What this means is that all of your arrest records would be sealed, and unavailable to the public. It is difficult to do this, and you will most likely need the services of a lawyer.

For a more in-depth article about getting your mugshot removed, the various mugshot websites, and the websites that offer to remove your mugshot for you: Mugshot Removal

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Obviously, if you’re arrested and put in jail, your only thought is when and how to get out. After booking, bail is set either by bail schedule or magistrate. If no bail is set this can mean that you will either be released on your ‘own recognizance’ until your court date, or you are kept in jail until your court date.

If you are released from jail you will have to agree to be in court on your court date, and you are not allowed to travel out of the county.

Usually, an inmate in the Bay County Jail can earn time off in exchange for good behavior if they follow the rules and act right while they are in jail.

If you do exhibit good behavior and the jail believes you can be trusted, you may be allowed to do work release. You will either have to return to jail at the end of the day when you’re finished with work, or you might get to move to a halfway house instead of the jail.

Bail is money that you will be required to pay to get out of jail until your court date. The amount you will have to pay depends on the seriousness of your crime. Someone you know will need to put up 10 percent of the total amount set so you are able to get out of jail. If you don’t go to your court appearance, the person that bailed you out of jail will lose all of the bail money.

You must call the Bay County Jail or the County Courthouse. If you’ve got the pertinent information, such as name, address and date of birth, they will be able to let you know how much their bail is. You can also see the bail amount on the Bay County Jail site.

Posting bail to get out of jail is never a fun thing, but usually, its really easy if you have the money. First, you have to find out if it is a “Cash Bond Only”. If it is, you won’t be able to get a bondsman. Cash only – the jail won’t accept a personal check. Once the cash bond has been paid, the person will be discharged. If they don’t violate the terms of their bail, you will get this money back.

If the bail amount is too high, of if you can’t pay it, you should try a bail bondsman. Bail bondsmen will usually charge you a fee of 10 to 15 percent of the bail amount, and in most cases charge a minimum of $100. The amount you pay to the bondsman will not be returned to you and has to be paid in cash. If bail is very large, the bail bondsman will request to use your assets as collateral in addition to the fee they charge.

To talk to a bail bondsman click here: Find a bail bondsman

Have you ever used a Bail Bondsman to bail someone out of jail? If so, post a comment below and tell about it, and let us know how things turned out.

Click here to comment

• Time Off For Good Behavior
• Work Release Programs
• Get Out For Time Served
• Be Released on a Pre-Trial Release Program
• Released On House Arrest
• Get Released on Your Own Recognizance

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The jail intake procedure includes the following steps:

• You will get put in a holding cell. If there are a lot of arrests, you may not be processed immediately.
• The first step is that you must answer some questions, such as your legal name, your address, date of birth and contact person.
• You will also be asked about your medical and mental history.
• You will be issued an inmate number.
• You will be fingerprinted.
• You will have your mugshot taken.
• Any personal property you have will be taken away from you and stored until you get released.
• You will then be allowed to use the telephone in order to get in touch with a family member, friend, or bail bondsman.
• If you are expected to be released shortly, you might get to wear your street clothes, otherwise you will have to change into a jail uniform – the jumpsuit.

Have you been arrested and gone through jail intake? If you have, you should tell your story. How long did it take? What was your treatment like? Can you tell us tips that will help others make it through jail intake?

Speak Your Mind

When you pay your bail, you will be allowed to leave jail. This process takes anywhere between 15 minutes to all day. So, the faster you post bail, the quicker you will get released. How quickly you get discharged can depend on whether you have a cash bond or if a judge needs to determine the amount of bail to be set. For a minor offense, you will simply be booked and released on your own recognizance. When you get to the end of your sentence and are given a release date, plan to get discharged that morning.

issued for your arrest, or if you have to begin your jail sentence, it is recommended that you follow the law and go down to the jail and turn yourself in. If it is for a warrant, go to the jail, and tell someone that you think they might have a warrant out for your arrest. They will check their system to see if there are any outstanding local, state or federal arrest warrants out for you, and if they verify that there is a warrant for your arrest, they will ask that you surrender yourself and you will be taken into custody. If you are reporting to serve out your sentence, report at the time and date that the sentence order requires you to. Be sure that you don’t show up late. Make sure that you only bring required items with you, like a driver’s license or even ID, any prescription medication you might take, as well as a sentencing order from court.

The inmate must list the name and date of birth of each visitor to the jail. Your visitor’s names will be entered into a log of visitors as an authorized visitor. Each and every visitor will be required to provide acceptable photo identification. Any visitors arriving late or any visitors that are not approved to visit will not be able to attend visitation.
Jail visitation policies can change, so make sure that you double-check the official Bay County Jail jail site before you go to the jail to visit.

The only phone calls that inmates are allowed to make are with a pre-paid phone card or account, or are collect calls . Jail phone calls are usually more expensive than phone calls made at home. There is no limit to how often you can use the phone, but inmates must keep in mind that there are a limited number of phones, so all the inmates must share phone time. If you break the rules and are disciplined, phone calls might get cut back or eliminated completely, as part of the punishment.

Phone Number: (989) 895-4050

All inmate mail is required to be mailed using the US Postal Service. You shouldn’t use any other form of mail delivery. Clearly write the prisoner’s name, inmate number, and jail address on the outside of the letter that you send. Do not send anything in a package, envelope with padding, bag, or an envelope with any metal in it. Any mail gets opened and reviewed by the jail staff, and the mail will be sent back to the person who mailed it if it can’t be delivered.

If you would like to send a letter to an inmate at Bay County Jail, use this address:

Bay County Jail
503 Third St.
Bay City, MI 48708

Here is how you should address the letter:

[INMATE’S FULL NAME]
[INMATE ID]
Bay County Jail
503 Third St.
Bay City, MI 48708

The mail policy changes, so you should double check the the Bay County Jail website when you send a letter to an inmate.

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Even if you’ve been arrested, you should know you still have rights, the first of which is your right to request a lawyer. You are only allowed to make so many phone calls in jail, so make sure you get a friend or relative to locate an attorney when you call. You’re probably asking yourself ‘I don’t have to get a lawyer – I can just represent myself’ While you are not required to have one, a criminal defense lawyer can advise you of your rights, look after your best interests and help you through the criminal justice system in your county. The sooner you hire an attorney to represent you and work on your situation, the better.

For more info on how to find an attorney, click: Find an Attorney

If you can’t afford a lawyer, you will get a public defender. Also, the Public Defender Office has access to private investigators, experts in forensics as well as social workers. All Public Defenders are bona-fide lawyers that are admitted to the State Bar and are fully licensed to practice law.

Have you ever had to use a court appointed attorney? Do you think they properly handled your case?

All court records are a matter of public record. Court records have a court case file containing a docket and every documents and motions in your case. You are able to access your court records using the Bay County website, or at the Clerk’s office of the Court.

A Clerk of Court is a member of the court that maintains court records. The Clerk of Court also administer the oath when court is in session, and read the court verdict when the jury has finished deliberations. All records and documents related to your case are kept and available to you at Bay County Clerk of Court office.

Court fees are the charges and fees from your case, for example filing charges, motion and claim fees, and court appearance fees. If you cannot afford these fees and have court appointed legal counsel or a Public Defender, you can get a waiver for these fees and won’t have to pay them.

The Bay County magistrate acts as the judge that rules over your case in court. Magistrate judges do many different things, like determining how much your bail will be, issuing warrants, and presiding over preliminary court proceedings and detention proceedings.

Your pre-sentencing report is put together to include information about the arrestee’s background and as much detail about the arrestee’s life history, which the magistrate judge will take into account when determining the sentence. Information will be gathered from the defendant, his or her family members, and in some circumstances the victim of the crime. Bear in mind that you should request to have a copy of your pre-sentencing report before you are sentenced, so you have the opportunity to correct any mistakes that it contains.

When you are convicted of a crime, you will then get sentenced. There are a number of different options, ranging from community service, house arrest, and probation, to incarceration in either jail (short term) or prison (long term). Depending on the severity of the crime, you could be taken into custody, right there in court, or you might be given a date that you are required to surrender and report to jail to serve your jail term according to your sentence.

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Want to find out if a family member or friend is in jail, or has gone to jail in the past?

This is pretty easy to do, simply you will have to access the jail website and do an inmate search, and search by:

• Name.
• Date of birth.
• Approximate booking date.
• and their jail inmate ID.

If you’re not sure if this person is in jail, you can call the jail to find out.

If you have a warrant out for your arrest, you can find out by checking the arrest warrants online or you can call the jail. You have to have the person’s first and last name. Or, you can just go the jail in person and ask one of the officers. You should know that there is an outstanding warrant for your arrest, you will be taken into custody immediately.

If you know the person’s first and last name, and possibly an arrest date, contact the Bay County jail, on the phone, in person, or you can check online. Records of arrests are public record and this information is accessible by the public.

Civil processes are when someone has been served with papers, like a court order. You can find these civil process orders by getting in touch with the Bay County Sheriff’s office, on their website or by phone.

All registered sex offenders have to be registered and listed on a sex offender database. Those listed on these databases have been tried by jury and convicted in a court of law of a sex offense. You are able to see these listings on the website, but remember that you will not see the precise address, just the block they live on.

Court Records are considered public records, so they are accessible to anyone who requests them. They include a case file containing a court docket and any of the filings and documents filed in your court case. You are able to access your court records on the internet, or at Clerk of Court in the jurisdiction where the case was filed.

Every state maintains a record of their state citizen’s criminal background. These databases are connected so you can track criminal convictions from other states. Go to the Bay County Courthouse and inquire, or check online. It helps to know which county the crime occurred in, and in the event that it was in a completely different state, you might have to pay for a more comprehensive search.

A criminal history search you can find out if someone has been arrested, charged, or convicted for crimes, which include:

• DWI or DUI.
• Drug Possession.
• Kidnapping.
• Sex offenses which could include rape, and sexual assault.
• Violent crimes.
• Theft.

If you do a criminal records check, usually won’t learn if someone has had:

• Speeding or reckless driving.
• Drivers license suspended or revoked.
• Been in a traffic accident.
• Minor infractions or moving violations.
• Parking Tickets.

To get this kind of information, you have to do a search for their driving record.

Have you ever had to look for criminal records online? Was it easy? Was your search online or did you have to call the Bay County courthouse? Was it correct? There are lots of reasons that folks search for criminal records, and your account may make it easier for others.

Click here to leave a comment

Most Wanted

Everyone knows that the FBI has a listing of the Top Ten Most Wanted Criminals. In Bay County, the Bay County Sheriff has their own list of the most wanted criminals, that you can access online.

FBI Ten Most Wanted List: Link


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Life In Jail / What Its Like

Daily Life

While the prospect of being incarcerated in Bay County Jail is something you wish you could avoid, soon you will settle into the daily routine there. All inmates get an alarm to wake up at 6:00 AM, and next they’ll do roll call. After roll call you will have breakfast. Following breakfast you will work in the program that has been assigned to you. This could be working in the kitchen, laundry, or some sort of manufacturing job. While this may seem tedious, it may help you when you leave jail, as you are gaining experience in a certain field of work. Other inmates go to school, while some take part in mandated treatment programs. After lunch, there will be another roll call, then back to work. Your evening will be spent either in your cell or a common room. During this time dinner is served and you will be expected to take a shower. After another roll call, it’s lights out. Even though you will be confined to your cell, there may be enough light to read or write letters. Then again, most inmates welcome lights out, and try to get as much sleep as they can.

Most people are frightened at the idea of jail because they don’t know what to expect. If you have spent any time in Bay County Jail, your experiences would be welcomed, if it can help another person to deal with it.

Dress Code

When incarcerated, all inmates are expected to wear the Bay County Jail uniform. This is normally a jumpsuit or scrubs. Of note to anyone visiting an inmate – you must be properly dressed. Any clothing considered inappropriate will not be permitted.

How To Send Money to an Inmate

You will have your own ‘bank account’ while in jail. This money is used to purchase items from the Commissary. Family and friends can deposit money into this account for you, and any money you earn while in prison will also be deposited into your account. Outside money can be paid in to your account via a money order, cash or check. If someone sends a check or money order, make sure that they write your inmate ID on it. The maximum amount you are allowed in your account is $290 per month.

The rules for sending funds to inmates at Bay County Jail could change, so be sure to visit the official Bay County Jail site when you send funds to an inmate.


Commissary

The commissary is the jail store. You can purchase a number of things here, such as toiletries, snacks and writing supplies. Bear in mind that you will probably want to use the commissary daily, and any infractions will get that privilege taken away from you.

Inmate Medications

If you are on any type of prescription medication, you will be allowed to continue taking it while in jail. When you are first processed, you will be asked what medication you take. You will then be referred to the jail nurse or doctor who will be in charge of monitoring your health and prescribing your medication.

Meals

You will get three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. As expected, they are very basic, but healthy. A typical breakfast might be cereal, toast, coffee and fruit. Lunch might be spaghetti, salad, bread and milk. Dinner could be chicken casserole, rice, vegetables, dessert and milk. Contrary to popular belief, prison food has greatly improved over the years, and you might find that it’s not much different from what you would eat at home.

Pods / The Yard

The jail is designed in a ‘pod’ layout, with self-contained housing arranged around an outdoor yard. Each pod has a central control station and a common room, and the inmates take turns in using the yard. The jail is designed this way to keep certain inmates together, and others away from the general population.

Gangs

As with life in general, gangs are a part of prison life. Obviously it is best to avoid becoming a part of this environment as it will only lead to trouble. When you first enter prison, you might find yourself being ‘primed’ to join a gang, or worse, you might get their attention in a negative way. The best thing to do is keep your head down and don’t get involved.


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News and Media

News

Photos / Pictures

Videos


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Jobs

Types of Jobs at Bay County Jail

The Deputy Sheriff is the second in command at the Bay County Jail, overseeing the day to day operations and administration of the jail. An inmate is unlikely to have much interaction with the Deputy Sheriff, unless they have committed an infraction. Detention Officers are responsible for the custody and care of the inmates. They maintain order in the jail, and handle security. A Detention Officer is assigned to a certain pod, and therefore is responsible for the same inmates each day. They get to know the inmates on a certain level and are well equipped to handle any problems that may occur.

Apply for a Job at Bay County Jail

Requirements:

• You have to be over the age of 21.
• You have to possess a High School Diploma or GED
• You have to be a US Citizen.
• You have to pass a Criminal, Credit and Driving History background check.
• You have to pass a drug test.
• You have to have a good level of fitness.
• You have to be in good health.
• You have to have a valid Driver’s License
• An applicant for Deputy Sheriff must possess a Law Enforcement Certification.


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Family Resources

There are resources for families of both the perpetrator of the crime and the victim. The social and emotional impact of crime is far reaching, affecting many. Families can receive professional counseling, court related assistance, social services assistance and help in navigating the criminal justice system.

If you are a family member, which resources did you find to be particularly helpful? Please let us know, as this will be helpful to other families in the same situation.

Speak Your Mind


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Victim Resources

Important Note: If you, or someone you know, are in immediate danger, call 911.

Victim’s Rights

The Victim Rights Act grants victims the following rights:

• Victims have the right to protection from the accused.
• Victims have the right to notification.
• Victims have the right to attend proceedings.
• Victims have the right to speak at criminal justice proceedings.
• Victims have the right to consult with the prosecuting attorney.
• Victims have the right to restitution.
• Victims have the right to a speedy trial.
• Victims have the right to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect.

The definition of victim includes:

• Spouses and children of all victims.
• Parents and guardians of minor victims.
• Parents, guardians and siblings of mentally or physically incapacitated victims or victims of homicide.
• Foster parents or other caregivers, under certain circumstances.

There are a number of services and programs designed to help victims and their families. You can find out about these services by contacting the courthouse, or local law enforcement agency.

Victim Notification

The Department of Justice Victim Notification System (VNS) is a system that provides victims with information pertaining to their case and/or any defendants in the case. You will receive a Victim Identification Number (VIN) and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that will allow you to access VNS via the internet or by phone. Here, you will find information about future court hearings, historical court events, and detailed information about the defendant. This will include criminal charges filed, the outcome of charges, sentence imposed, custody location, projected release date and any other release information. The VNS website is updated daily. You will also receive any ongoing information by mail or email.

Have you, a family member or friend ever used the Victim Notification System? If so, was it effective? Did you get the information in a timely manner? Was the system difficult to use? We would like to hear from you, so please post any comments here.

Click here to tell about all about it

Sex Offender Information and Search

All people registered as sex offenders are registered on either a national or state sex offender database. The people on these databases have been convicted of a sex or kidnapping crime. You can access this information online, but bear in mind that you will not get the exact address, rather the block that they live on.

Domestic Violence

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, there are services to help you. Your county will have a Domestic Violence Services office. They provide free and confidential services, such as emergency shelter information, legal advocacy, support groups and domestic violence education. They will work to help you create a safe and violence-free life, and heal from the trauma of abuse.

Important Note: If you, or someone you know, are in immediate danger, call 911.


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Reviews

Reviews of this Jail

Have you ever been an inmate in Bay County Jail? Do you have a family member or friend there? Have you ever visited someone at this jail?

If you have, then we would like you to write a review about it. Write down your experience because others can find out what to expect.

Things you can include in your review:

• Jail conditions.
• Jail layout and facility
• Guards and staff
• Jail food and commissary
• Visitors
• Other Inmates.
• Safety
• Gangs
• Inmate programs and activities


Click here to write a review

Tell Your Story

Anyone who’s ever been arrested and sent to jail has at least one story to tell about it. Why’d you end up in jail? Were you mistreated? How was life in jail? Were the other inmates cool? How has this experience impacted your life?

Click here to tell your story about Bay County Jail

Send a Message to Your Cell Mate

Did you make friends in jail? Trying to find someone you met in jail? Leave a message for them here.

Send a message to Bay County Jail


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