Just thought of a question?

Have a question?

Ask The Inmate

Ask a former inmate questions at no charge. The inmate answering has spent considerable time in the federal prison system, state and county jails, and in a prison that was run by the private prison entity CCA.

Ask your question or browse previous questions in response to comments or further questions of members of the InmateAid community.

Subject: Send inmate mail

InmateAid is a proven solution for international members. Your inmate can reply through our address for $1.89 per letter, photos included. You receive an email notification when their response arrives in your account, cutting the typical 6-day international mail delay considerably. Using InmateAid as the hub for both outgoing and incoming correspondence keeps everything in one place, gives you a digital record of every letter, and significantly reduces the time between exchanges.

Read more
Subject: Inmate services & supplies

CDs are not accepted at Nevada state prisons or virtually any correctional facility in the country. Physical media has been eliminated from approved property lists across most systems due to security concerns around the concealment of contraband. Voice-recorded CDs from home are also not permitted for the same reason, and additionally because facilities have no way to verify the content of a personally recorded disc without extensive review that most mail rooms are not equipped to conduct. The

Read more
Subject: Prison food

The food is basic, and that is about the most generous way to put it. Every facility is required to meet minimum nutritional standards, typically around 2,000 calories per day, with meals planned by dieticians to ensure a basic balance of protein, carbohydrates, and other nutrients. Meeting the minimum standard and being appetizing are two very different things, and most correctional food achieves the former while falling well short of the latter. The quality varies significantly by facility

Read more
Subject: Visitation

Every facility has their own version of rules. Most requie an application approval process. The inmate is notified of the approvals. Check with the actual facility before going to be 100% sure.

Read more
Subject: Family services

You are actually communicating with "former inmates" who are trained to give accurate, forthright and first hand accounts of all things incarceration-related topics.

Read more
Subject: General prison questions-terminology

There is no set schedule or guaranteed timeline for when a new inmate will meet with their counselor. It is one of the more frustrating realities of the system for families who expect the process to move on a predictable timetable. Counselors and case managers in correctional facilities carry large caseloads and prioritize their time based on institutional needs rather than any order that makes obvious sense from the outside. New arrivals, classification reviews, release planning, disciplinary matters, and

Read more
Subject: Send inmate mail

In most cases, mail does not follow an inmate after a transfer. If a letter is sent to the old facility, it will usually be: Returned to sender, or Not delivered at all Forwarding is rare, especially in county and state systems. If you used InmateAid: You will be notified if the letter is returned If you provide the new facility information, the letter can be resent at no charge Best practice going forward:

Read more
Subject: General prison questions-terminology

InmateAid does not issue refunds if an inmate is transferred before a letter is delivered. However, once you have the new location, InmateAid will resend the letter to the correct facility. Contact the support team with the updated address to arrange the resend.

Read more
Subject: Send inmate mail

If you want to stay private, InmateAid’s Response Service is exactly what you are looking for. At facilities like Preston E. Smith Unit, inmates do not have internet access, so they cannot use this site directly. Everything is handled through regular mail. Here is how it works: Your letter is sent with the InmateAid return address, not your home address The inmate writes back to that InmateAid address InmateAid receives the letter, scans it, and uploads it to your account

Read more
Subject: Commissary

It depends on the facility. There is no universal rule, and policies vary considerably between county jails, state prisons, and federal facilities. Some county jails do allow family members to bring or send clothing directly, particularly for inmates who are awaiting trial and have not yet been issued a facility uniform. In those cases there are usually strict guidelines about what is acceptable, specific colors, no underwire, no gang-affiliated colors, and items must often be new with tags attached.

Read more
Search Arrest Records