The jail stopped handling cash for commissary on 30 June 2025, so the counter that used to take your money no longer does. Send photos and letters too.
Send photos and letters too
Something changed at this jail that older advice has not caught up with. Until the summer of 2025 you could walk into the building with cash for somebody’s commissary account. You cannot any more. Everything below reflects how it works now, including the route that still lets you pay in cash if that is what you have.
The Chemung County Sheriff’s Office announced that it would stop using cash deposits for people at the Chemung County Jail from 30 June 2025.
That is a real break with how the jail worked before, and it is the single most common reason somebody turns up at 211 William Street with an envelope and leaves again with it. If you are following instructions from a relative who did this two years ago, or from a page that has not been updated, this is the part that is out of date.
Commissary deposits now go through Access Corrections, by app or through its website.
The county’s description is short and useful: download the app, create an account, and send money directly to the person’s account. The cash transfer happens instantly, which matters more than it sounds. A deposit made on a Friday evening is spendable rather than sitting in a queue over the weekend.
This is the part families miss, and it is the reason the change is less harsh than it first looks.
The county names five retail chains that participate in the Access Corrections program and take cash over the counter:
So cash has not stopped working. It has moved out of the jail lobby and into shops that are open long after the jail’s front desk has closed. For anyone without a bank account or a smartphone, that is the route.
The jail offers commissary once per week. What is on it is described as items deemed appropriate, which in practice covers selected food and snacks, toiletries, clothing, stationery and games.
The weekly rhythm is worth planning around. Money that lands the day after an order goes in waits until the following week to be spent, so a deposit early in the week is usually more useful than one made late.
Money put on a commissary account does not touch bail, and no amount of it moves a release date.
Chemung takes bail two ways.
Cash bail is done by reporting to the facility and asking to complete a cash bail transaction.
Credit card bail is coordinated with ALLPAID and can be done online. The county states that all credit card bail transactions may be made remotely, so a family member in another state can post bail without travelling to Elmira. That is genuinely useful and not every county offers it.
The amount itself is set by the court rather than by the jail.
Access Corrections shows its fee before you confirm a payment.
Phone credit is not part of commissary. The housing unit phones are collect, so calls are billed to whoever accepts them rather than drawn from the commissary balance. That is a different model from jails where you prepay, and it means a commissary deposit is not what keeps the calls coming.
Confirm they are at this jail rather than at the state prison across town, because the two run entirely separate account systems and money sent to one does not reach the other.
If you are sending photos or a letter at the same time, those go to 211 William Street and Pigeonly handles them while the money goes its own way.
6 of 7 questions
No. The Sheriff's Office stopped accepting cash deposits for commissary on 30 June 2025. Turning up at 211 William Street with an envelope of cash no longer works, which catches out anyone following older advice.
Send MoneyThrough Access Corrections, by downloading the app or using its website, creating an account and sending money directly to the person's account. The county says the transfer is instant, so it does not sit in a queue over a weekend.
Send MoneyCash still works, just not at the jail. The county names Dollar General, Family Dollar, Kroger, CVS and 7-Eleven as participating retailers that take cash over the counter for this program. Those shops are also open far later than the jail's front desk was.
Send MoneyAccess Corrections shows its own fee before you confirm the payment, which is the figure to go by.
Send MoneyCommissary runs once per week. The county describes the range as selected food and snack items, toiletries, clothing, stationery and games. A deposit made early in the week is usually more useful than one made just after an order has gone in.
Send MoneyTwo ways. Cash bail means reporting to the facility and asking to complete a cash bail transaction. Credit card bail is coordinated with ALLPAID and done online, and the county states that all credit card bail transactions may be made remotely, so nobody has to travel to Elmira for that route.
Send MoneyNo, and this jail works differently from many. All housing unit telephones are completed collect, so the cost lands on whoever accepts the call rather than coming out of a prepaid balance. A commissary deposit is not what keeps the phone working here.
Send MoneyTwo Elmira facilities, two separate account systems.
View ArticleCalls are collect here, so they are billed to you directly.
View ArticleLetters go to the street address, not a post office box.
View ArticleSearch for your loved one and start sending photos, letters, and messages today.
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All information on this page comes directly from official government and facility sources. How we verify information › Last verified September 21, 2026. Official source: chemungcountyny.gov/1469/Depositing-Money-into-Incarcerated-Indiv ›