The Mower County Jail is located in Austin, Minnesota which is the county seat of Mower County, Minnesota. The Mower County Jail, like most local jails in Minnesota, is run by the head of the relevant local law enforcement agency. In this case, that means that it is run by the Mower County Sheriff. The Mower County Sheriff is Terese Amazi.
Sheriff Terese Amazi has played a historic role in Minnesota law enforcement. She is the first woman elected to the position of sheriff in Minnesota. To find out more about Sheriff Amazi, you can go to YouTube to view footage from a special on Women in Law Enforcement, which initially aired on a local ABC Affiliate.
The Mower County Jail is a short-term, full-service jail facility. It is responsible for holding pre-trial, pre-sentencing, and post-conviction inmates. It holds male and female adult inmates. Inmates who are held in the Mower County Jail facility may be facing state, local, or federal charges. They may also be facing charges from multiple agencies.
One of the challenges facing Sheriff Amazi is ensuring that inmate rights are respected, while still maintaining a secure jail facility. This is a common problem in local jail facilities, because they hold pre-trial detainees. To understand why pre-trial detainees present security challenges, it is important to understand what a pre-trial detainee is. A pre-trial detainee is someone who has been arrested and charged with a crime, and is in jail, either awaiting trial or awaiting a bail hearing and release until trial. Pre-trial detainees pose an interesting dilemma for jail facilities. Although charged with a crime, pre-trial detainees have not been convicted of a crime and are entitled to a presumption of innocence.
However, the presumption of innocence can create a security challenge. While inmates should not be punished, the security of the jail depends on properly identifying potentially violent and dangerous inmates from the rest of the jail population, in order to ensure inmate and staff safety. As a result, the Mower County Jail not only needs to be able to provide secure facilities, but also have an intake process to identify potentially dangerous inmates. To ensure that this intake process works, inmates may be assigned to different housing units after their initial admission to the Mower County Jail.
Mower County Jail
201 2nd Ave NE
Austin, MN 55912
The Mower County Jail mailing address for non-inmate mail is:
Mower County Jail
201 2nd Ave NE
Austin, MN 55912
To send inmate mail via the U.S. Postal Service, you send it to the following address:
Inmate Name
Mower County Jail
201 2nd Ave NE
Austin, MN 55912
The Mower County Jail does not post rules about inmate mail. However, there are some rules that generally apply to inmate mail, so following them is prudent if you are mailing items to inmates detained at the Mower County Jail facility.
Generally inmates cannot receive the following items because of the possibility that the items could be used as weapons or could contain contraband: Polaroid or Polaroid-style photographs, any type of tobacco product including cigarettes, loose stamps, wooden items, metal items, or plastic items, phone cards, any type of jewelry, cards with ribbons in them, musical cards, cards with plastic in them, envelopes or packages with plastic bubbles, stickers, hard cover books, oversized cards, cardboard cards, handmade cards that have multiple layers, express and/or priority mail.
Usually, inmates cannot receive cash or checks. Even if you can send money to an inmate to put on a commissary account, it is recommended that you not send cash, but, instead, send a money order.
Generally, inmates cannot receive items with content that is likely to cause any type of disruption or safety risk at the jail. This includes, but is not limited to: contents with pornographic, obscene or sexually explicit content; any content with any type of racially inflammatory material on it; any content with violent material in it; and any content with any type of escape plans for the facility; and type of gang-related content including images or photos of people showing signs; and any mail to or from a third party. If you have to ask yourself whether a specific type of mail is acceptable, then the safest course of action is not to send it.
Most inmates are able to receive newspapers, magazines, and soft-cover books, as long as they are sent directly from the publisher. Even if sent from the publisher, certain publications must be prohibited. As with personal mail, any item with content that is likely to cause any type of disruption or safety risk should not be sent to the jail.
The main contact number for the Mower County Jail is 507-437-9562. The main contact number for the Mower County Sheriff’s Office is 507-437-9400. The inmate contact number is 507-433-4366. While inmates cannot get incoming phone calls, you may leave messages at that number.
Mower County Jail uses an inmate list, which it calls the Mower County Jail In Custody List. It is updated multiple times per day, and the time of the last update will be at the top of the list. This list is presented alphabetically by the inmate’s last name and does not give you the option to view the records in a different order. Although it does not have a search function, you can search the list using the CTRL + F “find” function on your computer. You can use the find function to search for inmates by last name, first name, sex, age, booking number, intake date, and charges. When looking at the records, you see all of the information available about the inmate on the site. That information includes: the inmate’s full name, a booking photo/mugshot, MNI number, sex, age, booking number, intake date, and the list of charges. The information does not contain bond amounts or whether a defendant is eligible for bond.
Mower County Jail does not have a recent arrest, booking list, or mugshots available online. However, it does use an inmate list, which it calls the Mower County Jail In Custody List. It is updated multiple times per day, and the time of the last update will be at the top of the list. This list is presented alphabetically by the inmate’s last name and does not give you the option to view the records in a different order. However, using your computer’s functions, you can search the list for intake date by using the CTRL + F “find” function on your computer. This will help you more easily locate inmates who were booked on a particular date. You can also use the find function to search for inmates by last name, first name, sex, age, booking number, intake date, and charges. When looking at the records, you see all of the information available about the inmate on the site. That information includes: the inmate’s full name, a booking photo/mugshot, MNI number, sex, age, booking number, intake date, and the list of charges. The information does not contain bond amounts or whether a defendant is eligible for bond.
Inmate visiting hours are not broken down by inmate last name or housing assignment. They are:
Tuesday: 1:00pm- 4:00 pm and 6:00pm- 8:00pm
Wednesday: 1:00pm- 4:00 pm
Thursday: 1:00pm- 4:00 pm and 6:00pm- 8:00pm
Friday: 1:00pm- 4:00 pm
There are no weekend visitation hours.
While the Mower County Jail does not post visitor guidelines, there are guidelines that are generally applicable for any jail visit. We are listing them below, for your convenience. However, if you have any questions about visitation at the Mower County Jail, you can call the jail’s information line prior to visiting to ensure that you are complying with their most current rules and guidelines. That number is 507-437-9562.
General Jail Visitation Rules:
-Minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian;
-No unattended children in the jail lobby during visitation;
-No intoxicated people may visit;
-Be respectful in language- cursing, yelling, or otherwise being disruptive may result in the visit being terminated;
-All persons visiting must have a valid photo identification, which can include: state i.d. card, driver’s license, school photo identification card, U.S. military identification card, valid passport/visa, valid alien registration card.
-All visitors should be dressed in a modest and conservative manner that does not reveal genitals, buttocks, or breasts;
-No halter tops or spaghetti strap tops;
-All females must wear a bra;
-No see through clothing;
-No clothing with holes or tears that would reveal the genitals, buttocks, or breasts;
-No sagging pants or shorts- all pants and shorts must be worn on the waistline;
-No pajama pants or tops;
-No low cut blouses;
-Shorts and skirts must be worn no more than 2 inches above the knee;
-All splits on skirts must start no more than 2 inches above the knees;
-All visitors must wear actual shoes- no slippers or house shoes;
-No gang-affiliated clothing, hats, or shoes.
-No knives, sharp objects, lighters, or tobacco products allowed;
-No electronic devices;
-No food, gum, or drinks;
-No purses, fanny packs, pens, pencils, paper, or mail; and
-No alcohol, drugs (prescription, over-the-counter, or illegal), or other contraband.
In addition, when visiting any detention facility, visitors may be subject to a background check and may be arrested if that background check reveals outstanding warrants. Some criminal backgrounds may result in a visitor being unable to visit an inmate at a correctional facility. If you have concerns about your criminal background, contact the facility beforehand to see if you will be permitted to visit.
Mower County Jail inmates cannot receive incoming calls, but can place outgoing collect calls and calls using phone cards during approved hours. They can also receive messages at the phone number designated for inmate messages, 507-433-4366.
Mower County Jail uses Reliance Telephone to provide phone services for inmates. To set up an account with Reliance Telephone, you can call them at 1-800-896-3201. Before opening a telephone account, they will verify your current address and billing information. While many credit cards will work automatically with Reliance, others will require you to file a Credit Cardholder Letter of Acceptance. You can pay for phone accounts with: cash, check, or money order taken physically to the jail facility or mailed to the jail facility; credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express) by phone or mail; Moneygram Express Payment; wire transfer; debit card; or check card.
Prior to establishing an account with Reliance Telephone, inmates may be able to place collect calls to friends and family, however not all phone services allow incoming collect calls. Therefore, to ensure that you can communicate with an inmate, you want to set up a phone account through Reliance Telephone.
If you need to reach an inmate in an emergency, you can use the message line. If the message is more urgent, you can contact the jail. The jail staff may require proof of the emergency and will then determine if the emergency warrants emergency contact with the inmate. Whether or not the jail staff relays the message immediately to the inmate is entirely at their discretion.
Inmate Trust Accounts / Commissary
Mower County Corrections Center provides commissary services for inmates. It does not use a service for inmate trust accounts, so you must take or mail money to the jail.
In Mower County, Minnesota, you cannot find out if an inmate is eligible for bail, and, if so, the amount of an inmate’s bond by looking at the inmate’s record. Instead, for any information relating to the Minnesota courts, you must contact Mower County Court Administration.
The contact information for Mower County Court Administration is:
Court Administration
201 2nd Ave NE, Suite 3
Austin, MN 55912
(507) 437-9465
You may post a cash bond, which is equal to the full amount of the bond ordered. The purpose of a cash bond is only to ensure that a defendant appears at trial or any relevant court dates. As long as a defendant appears at trial and any other relevant court dates, then the full amount of the cash bond will be refunded.
If you do not have the funds to post a cash bond, then you may choose to post a surety bond. A surety bond refers to when you secure the services of a bail bondsman to post bail for an inmate. The bail bondsman will charge you a percentage of the total bond in order to act as a surety and guarantee that the inmate will appear at all relevant court dates. If the defendant fails to appear, then the surety owes the full bail amount to the court. The percentage you pay to the surety is generally non-refundable and is a fee for posting the bond amount.
Sometimes, the bail bondsman may require that you use collateral to underwrite the bail. This collateral is generally real property, which the bail bondsman then holds until after a defendant has completed his or her court appearances. That collateral, unlike the fee that the bail bondsman charges, is then returned to the person who placed the collateral with the bail bondsman.
While some states allow defendants to use money posted for bond to satisfy other costs after the court appearances are complete, in Minnesota a bail bond cannot be taken to satisfy costs such as fines, restitution, or court costs.
If you need the services of a bail bondsman, Mower County will not recommend any particular bondsman. However, you can only use those bondsmen that are recognized by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. You can find them in the yellow pages or you may be able to secure bond services though a criminal defense attorney.
The Mower County Jail is a local jail facility located in Austin, Mower County Minnesota. It is located at 201 2nd Ave NE, Austin, MN 55912. The Mower County Jail is managed by Mower County Sheriff, Terese Amazi. You can reach the jail at 507-437-9562.
| Total Confined | 45 |
|---|---|
| Full-Time Prison Employees | 14 |
Year Built or Opened: 2011 Warden or Supervisor: Director Steve King Daily Inmate Count: 60 Total Capacity: 88 Security Level(s): minimum - medium
201 First Street Northeast
Austin, MN 55912
Phone Number(s):
507-437-9424
201 First Street Northeast
Austin, MN 55912
Other Prisons in Minnesota:
Federal Prison Camp Duluth | Minnesota Correctional Facility Faribault | Ada MN Police Jail | Adrian MN Police Jail | Aitkin County Jail | Aitkin MN Police Jail | Albany MN Police Jail | Alexandria MN Police Jail | Annandale MN Police Detention | Anoka County Jail