Yates County NY Jail

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Yates County NY Jail basic information to help guide you through what you can do for your inmate while they are incarcerated. The facility's direct contact number: 315-536-5175

This facility is for adult inmates.

The Yates County NY Jail is a medium-security detention center located at 227 Main St Penn Yan, NY which is operated locally by the Yates County Sheriff's Office and holds inmates awaiting trial or sentencing or both. Most of the sentenced inmates are here for less than two years. Yates County accepts inmates from surrounding towns, municipalities, the US Marshal's Service and the Penn Yan Police Department who do not have their own long-term lock-up.

The Yates County Jail is part of the Public Safety Building and has a maximum capacity of sixty-five inmates. The design of the Jail is known as Linear Design. This means that the inmates are placed in individual cells with an open area in front of the cells called a Bull Pen Area.

The Jail consists of seven cell blocks capable of housing four inmates, two cell blocks capable of housing two inmates, four Isolation cells, a Dormitory with the capability of housing nineteen inmates and a Trusty Dormitory capable of housing six inmates.

The Jail is governed by NEW YORK CORRECTION LAW oversight provided by the New York State Commission of Correction Minimum Standards. Originally, when the Jail opened in May of 1977, the maximum capacity was only forty inmates. But with renovations and expansions to the Jail over the years, the present capacity was raised to the present maximum capacity of sixty-five inmates.

The Jail houses inmates committed by a judge in Yates County are housed at the Jail. The Jail also houses Boarded Inmates. These inmates are male and female inmates sentenced by other counties or outside agencies such as United States Marshall Services and Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Also within the county jail is a four cell lock up to house pre-arraignment detainees. These people have not yet appeared before a judge and therefore are not yet committed to the facility.

Supervision of the inmates is accomplished by the Correction Officers walking through the blocks. This is done within a certain time frame throughout the day and night. Video cameras are also used for security and for supervision of inmates. Cameras are in every cellblock, hallways, the classroom and exercise areas.

Exercise is provided for the inmates seven hours a week. The inmates have an outside exercise area during good weather and an inside exercise area for inclement weather for their exercise period.

INMATE MAIL: All magazines and newspapers will be accepted through subscription only. If a magazine or picture is received containing nudity, the inmate will be given the option of placing the item in his/her property or allowing YCJ staff to censor the nudity. This may be accomplished with a black marker or cutting out inappropriate sections. Books will only be accepted from the publisher or a bookseller, such as Amazon. No hardcover books are accepted. There is a limit of 12 photographs no larger than 4”x6”. Polaroids will not be accepted. Items containing staples, crayon, stickers, glue, glitter and/ or paint will be returned to sender. Oversized or musical cards are not allowed. Envelopes that mail arrives in will be destroyed. Please include your name and return address on both the envelope and the letter.

CLOTHING DROP OFF: Inmates may have clothing brought in on visit days or sent in through the mail. All items must be new in the package, without logos and white in color. MALES: (4) pairs of underwear- boxers or briefs only (4) pairs of socks, (4) crew neck t-shirts, (1) pair of thermal underwear, (1) pair of light gray sweatpants and (1) pair of light gray cotton shorts. No pockets, strings or emblems are permitted. If pockets are cut out, the holes must be sewn closed. No sweatpants may be cut into shorts.
FEMALES: in addition to the above items female inmates may have (4) white cotton sports bras with no wires, hooks, pockets, padding or lace.
SHOES: New, generic sneakers (value less than $25) with no metal. If an inmate already has a pair of sneakers, they will not be permitted to exchange them unless they are destroyed, and only with the approval of a Sergeant or above.

PROPERTY RELEASE: At any time an inmate may release his/her property to a designated person. Personal property must be released in its entirety. Any inmate sent to State Prison must have their property picked up within 10 days of their transfer to prison. Any unclaimed inmate property will be disposed of after 30 days.

MEDICAL: Inmates are protected by HIPPA laws, which prevent the discussion of medical issues with another person. Medical care and treatment is provided at the community standard. Mental Health services are also provided. Dental appointments are made on an emergency, as needed basis. All inmates are tested for tuberculosis and optional HIV/ AIDS testing is available at the inmate’s request.

PHONE CALLS: An inmate may call collect to anyone who is willing to accept the charges. Incoming calls for inmates are not accepted, nor can staff pass along messages to the inmates. Inmates are unable to make collect calls to cell phones unless an account has been established ahead of time. Our inmate telephone company is GTL and they may be reached at 1-866-230-7761 or connectnetwork.com. To get the calls at the cheapest rate, click here.

TELEPHONE BLOCKS: If you are having trouble receiving collect calls from an inmate, you may need to contact your home phone provider to have a block removed.

INMATE FUNDS:

Funds will be accepted through the mail in the form of a money order or certified bank check. All blanks on the money order must be filled out. Personal checks will not be accepted. Sending cash in the mail is highly discouraged. Funds sent in the mail may take 5-7 days before they are available to the inmate. Funds may also be deposited using the kiosk in the lobby or online at www.mycarepack.com and selecting “smart deposits”. There is a fee charged by the kiosk company and online when making a deposit by cash or credit card. This fee is charged by the company and we have no control over it. Funds deposited by kiosk or online are available in the inmate’s account immediately. The Yates County Jail has a Commissary account set up for inmate use. Inmates may purchase items such as health care items, underclothing, food items, pens, pencils, and writing materials. Money brought in with the inmates will be placed in this account.

visitation Info

Yates County Jail – Visitation

Visitation days for inmates are on Tuesdays and Saturdays. All visits are on an appointment basis. Visitors must call the Jail at 315-536-5175 or come to the Jail the day before the visit to make the appointment. Inmates may receive up to two one-hour visits per week. The hours for visits run from 1 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m.

Visit Details

Visitors arriving for inmate visits must have a valid form of photo identification issued by a government agency to enter the Jail. The visits start on the hour and run for one hour. Visitors arriving thirty minutes late for the visit will be denied the visit. Any visitor seventeen years old or younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Legal Guardians will be required to produce the paperwork from the court granting Guardianship. An average of 6,000 visitors arrives at the jail annually.

Visitation Information & Online Resources

Process for visiting at the Yates County Jail

Yates County Jail Guide