Subject: Send inmate mail
The inmate pages are created and maintained by the members and users of the site. We do not monitor or verify this self-generated content. If you want to use the service on the website, you will need to set up a profile. If you need help, please send us the inmate's name,inmate ID, state and facility name and we will set it up for you. If you send a letter to the wrong facility through InmateAid, send us the changes...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
What you are experiencing is very common in federal cases. The process moves slowly, and a lot of what is happening is not visible from the outside.
What are you “waiting” for?
In federal drug cases, there are several things happening behind the scenes:
Discovery review where both sides go through evidence
Possible plea negotiations between the defense and prosecutors
Pretrial motions that can delay movement in the case
Coordination with co-defendants, which can slow everything down
When there are multiple people charged, the case often moves at the pace...
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
If your inmate was moved after you sent the letter, there is a chance he may not receive it.
Most facilities do not forward mail to another prison or yard. What usually happens is:
The mail arrives at the original facility
Staff see the inmate is no longer there
The letter is returned to sender
In some cases, mailroom staff may forward it, but that is not something you can rely on.
The good news is:
If the letter is returned, it can be resent to the correct facility...
Read moreSubject: Inmate phone calls
The service starts working very quickly, usually within about an hour after you sign up.
Here is how it works step by step:
1. You sign up and complete payment
Once your order is processed, a new local phone number is created for you that matches the area of the facility.
2. You receive your new number
This is typically sent to you by email within about an hour. At that point, the number is active and ready to use.
3. You must give the number...
Read moreSubject: Inmate services & supplies
Yes. Gaston Regional Juvenile Detention Center, like virtually every detention facility in the country, has an indigent program that provides basic supplies for written communication. If a juvenile resident has no money on their account, the facility is still required to ensure they have a basic means of staying in contact with family. That typically includes paper, pencils or pens, envelopes, and stamps.
The specifics of what is provided and how often vary by facility, but the underlying principle is consistent...
Read moreSubject: Survive prison
The diagnostic prison is to assemble information on the inmate for further classification, designation, treatment and programming. Your inmate may not be prison material but very few are when they go in. There will be an adaptation period where he will need to keep to himself and observe the routine of others and find one that will best fit his personality and interests. Prison is like a little town with everything that you would see in a community, just in...
Read moreSubject: Sentence reduction
In most state systems, inmates do not serve the full sentence if they earn and keep their good time credits.
A common guideline is around 85% of the sentence, though this can vary depending on the state and the charge.
For a 1 year sentence, that usually means:
Roughly 10 to 10.5 months actually served
The rest is reduced through good behavior credits
Since this is his first time and the sentence is relatively short, he is in a better position to earn and keep those credits as...
Read moreSubject: Visitation
Facility Procedures and Expectations for Visitors of the Illinois DOCOn your first visit to a facility you will be required to complete a “Prospective Visitor’s Interview” form. If visitors are provide false information on the form, visitation privileges may be restricted or revoked. IDOC staff has the right to interview or request background information from potential visitors to determine whether the individual would pose a threat to the safety or security of the facility or any person or to the...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
His lifestyle is only going to change if he does steps necessary to improve his thought process. There is something that the therapists point to when assisting in rehabilitation: criminal thinking. Does your inmate have the capacity to look at himself and his flawed thinking. The inmate that can come to terms with his mistakes and face "change", will change.
There are also other attitudes that an inmate must address as they go back to be a productive member of society -...
Read moreSubject: Visitation
Yes, he should be able to call you unless there is some restriction on him related to the segregation. There are two types of segregation, one is administrative, which gives the inmate slightly more options. The other is disciplinary segregations which is super-strict.


