Broken Commissary at BCJ!
UPDATE: Somebody is big mad! The jail issued a response.
“I love that the jail responded,” said Lynn Tramonte, OIA’s Executive Director. “It shows exactly how defensive and unhinged they are. But instead of answering simple questions, the Sheriff is trying to change the subject. The information we asked for is something the public has the right to know. They admitted to a gap in commissary services. I spoke to someone at the jail this morning, and they told me no one knew how long it would take to get fixed. Now the jail says it will be resolved tomorrow. The public deserves answers to basic questions:
Why didn't they keep the original service (Access Corrections) running until the new service (JailATM) was live?
What specific information were detained people given on September 24 about the commissary changes? Where, how, and in what languages? Why weren't they notified earlier, so that they could plan?
What about people booked into the jail during the transition period, September 24-October 1? Did you give them free commissary?
What items were included in the free commissary?
“We also think the public (and detained people) deserve to know whether the costs of basic items like aspirin, underwear, deodorant, or phone calls are going up or down. Why can't they have remote video visits with their loved ones, when the jail already has the technology? Immigrants in civil detention are not serving criminal sentences. They aren't being charged with a crime. But even if they were, everyone deserves to be treated like human beings.”
Read on for the original info we sent out today and all the questions we have for Sheriff Jones.
We recently found out that the loved ones of people detained in the Butler County Jail for ICE cannot put money on their Commissary accounts, and may have been denied access to their phone accounts for a time. Read on for information on how we discovered this; why it is a concern; and questions we suggest members of the media ask of Butler County jail and other government officials.
Said Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director, Ohio Immigrant Alliance:
Sheriff Jones doesn’t believe immigrants are human beings, which is why they have to buy almost everything they need in his jail to have a shred of dignity, like aspirin and underwear. Remember, civil detention means people aren’t being charged with crimes. Don’t believe what the jail says about the folks they detain for ICE. We’ve done the research, and we have the facts. They’re incarcerating good people who just want to take care of their loved ones, work hard, and live in a safe place — something everyone deserves.
It’s up to lawmakers to create immigration laws that function properly, and the government to administer them fairly. The Trump administration just cancelled an entire legal program so that Haitian-Ohioans could become deportable. That doesn’t make sense. And cutting off access to edible food and basic hygiene items, like Sheriff Jones did in his jail, is cruel and inhumane. This is just another reason why the County Commissioners need to cancel the ICE contract now.
Background
The Ohio Immigrant Alliance leads a volunteer group that puts money on detained immigrants’ commissary and phone accounts. Being incarcerated is expensive, and many Ohioans think civil immigration jail is a corrupt and unjust practice.
Families who need financial help while a loved one is fighting an immigration case contact the Ohio Immigrant Hotline, and we take down their information. Members of the community donate to the Detained Immigrants Commissary Account, and we mobilize volunteers to put money on specific immigrants’ commissary and phone accounts in immigration jail.
We have to do this as a group because the corporations that profit off of selling inmates’ commissary and phone services also limit how much money an individual person can put on a jail account each week. And, given the level of ICE enforcement we are experiencing, more and more people are being put in county jails across Ohio without any sort of criminal charge.
They need the basics — clothing, food, deodorant, aspirin — and the jails don’t provide anything close to humane supplies. All people deserve dignity, and that is what our volunteer program attempts to provide.
The Ohio Immigrant Alliance has put tens of thousands of dollars on immigrants’ commissary accounts since the first Trump administration. In September 2026, as the detention of Haitian-Ohioans soared, we created a volunteer group of 31 people to expand our impact. Since then we funded 69 accounts with a total of $4,100. And we’re just getting started.
The Problem
Through this work, we recently found out that immigrants detained in the Butler County Jail for ICE — people who are not being charged with crimes — have been unable to purchase commissary items for several days. We do not know when this problem will be resolved and that is a big issue that may require media scrutiny for resolution.
It appears the jail is transitioning from using Access Corrections as their vendor for commissary and inmate phones to a new commissary company, JailATM, and to using Inmate Sales for their phone services. No one appears to know how long the people incarcerated at the Butler County Jail will be unable to purchase food, clothing, or basic hygiene items. But the food, clothing, medical care, and hygiene items supplied by the jail, at taxpayer expense, are wholly inadequate and must be supplemented to meet basic survival standards.
We urge you to contact the jail and Butler County Commissioners and ask the following questions:
When did commissary and phone purchases via Access Corrections cease?
Why didn’t the jail keep Access Corrections running until JailATM was live?
Does this change impact every inmate at the Butler County Jail, or only the people detained for ICE?
When will commissary purchases via JailATM begin?
Are phone minute purchases via Inmate Sales consistently available now?
What notice, if any, was given to people detained for ICE about the date that commissary purchases at Access Corrections would pause, and when they would begin again? How, where, and when was this notice provided? In what languages?
What about people who have been newly booked into the jail after the transition started? Are they able to purchase commissary items somehow? Or do they have to wait until JailATM is in place?
How will prices change for inmates detained at the Butler County Jail under the new vendor? Please provide the consumer purchase price of specific items, using comparable quantities and brands, comparing Access Corrections prices to JailATM prices. Items include: pain relievers; deodorant; underwear; shampoo; instant soup; chips; soda.
How will phone and video visitation prices change for inmates detained at the Butler County Jail under the new vendor? Please compare the former phone vendor to Inmate Sales prices for a 10-minute phone call; a video visit; a phone call with an approved attorney (which should be free).
Will the jail now have the capability to support remote video visits, rather than requiring people to come to the jail to conduct a video visit with a detained inmate? If no, why not, since this technology already exists at the jail and is used routinely for attorney visits and immigration hearings?
We also believe it is important for the public to understand that the jail provides inadequate clothing, bedding, hygiene, and other basic necessities to people detained for ICE. Commissary services are not just about “snacks,” they are about making life bearable. In many cases, the jail does not even provide underwear to inmates. We urge the public to ask for the following details from the jail and county officials, and to follow up with open records requests if they do not provide answers:
List the specific clothing and bedding items that are supplied, at no expense to them, to people detained for ICE, and indicate how often they are laundered as well as replaced. Be specific as to the number and type of bedclothes, pillows, blankets, shirts, pants, underwear, socks, and shoes. If any of these items are not provided and must be purchased by the individual if they want to have them, indicate so.
List the specific hygiene items that are supplied, at no expense to them, to people detained for ICE. This includes soap, shampoo, deodorant, shaving supplies, and other basic necessities. Indicate how often they are replaced. If any of these items are not provided and must be purchased by the individual if they want to have them, indicate so.
We want to hear what you learn! Drop us a line at the Ohio Immigrant Hotline to let us know.
