At Silverdale Detention Center (formerly operated by Corrections Corporation of America), many facilities have moved away from collect calls. The main reason is cost and system changes: Collect calls are often the most expensive type of inmate call Phone providers are shifting to prepaid and debit systems instead Facilities prefer systems where billing is clearer and controlled While it feels like a loss, collect calls usually end up costing more per call than prepaid options. Lower-cost options to consider: Set up a prepaid phone account with the facility’s provider Use a local number setup to reduce long distance charges If possible, have...

If your inmate is transferred to a new facility before a letter arrives at the old one, the letter will almost certainly come back to InmateAid rather than follow them. Correctional facilities do not forward inmate mail to new locations the way the postal service forwards residential mail. When a returned letter arrives back at InmateAid, we will reach out to you. If you can provide the new facility address and inmate ID at the new location, we will resend the...

When one letter gets through and another is refused at the same facility, the issue is almost certainly content-related rather than an addressing or ID problem. If the address or ID were wrong, neither letter would have arrived. Facilities inspect all incoming mail and mail room staff have discretion to reject anything they determine violates the facility's mail policy. What triggers a refusal varies by facility and by the individual officer reviewing the mail that day. Content that references ongoing legal...

If a monthly payment is declined, your discount phone number is not permanently lost. InmateAid holds the number for you and no one else can be assigned that number while your account is being resolved. Once the payment is made successfully, the number is reinstated and your inmate can continue using it without having to go through the facility approval process again. The number stays yours. If you added funds to your card and believe the payment should now go through, contact...

There is no single right answer to how much money an inmate needs because it genuinely depends on the facility, the inmate's habits, and what the person on the outside can realistically sustain over a long period of time. The three main categories where trust account money goes are phone calls, commissary food and hygiene items, and one-time purchases like sneakers, a radio, or a JP4 player. Phone calls can add up quickly depending on how often contact happens and whether...

Sentence reduction is not a single process but an umbrella term covering several distinct legal and administrative mechanisms, each with its own eligibility requirements and likelihood of success depending on the individual case. Good time credit is the most straightforward and widely available. Inmates who maintain clean disciplinary records and participate in required programming earn credit that reduces the actual time served against the imposed sentence. In the federal system this amounts to up to 54 days per year under the...

Special visitation is an extended or non-standard visit granted by a facility under specific circumstances that fall outside the normal visiting schedule. The most common reason a special visit is granted is distance. If a family member is traveling from out of state or a significant distance to visit an inmate, most facilities will consider allowing additional visiting time or a visit outside the regular scheduled hours to accommodate the travel involved. Special visitations are not automatic. They must be requested...