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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: Inmate phone calls

Sometimes yes, but it depends entirely on the facility and the phone provider they use. Years ago, getting a local number in the same area code as the prison often lowered the cost because calls were billed as local instead of long distance. That still works in some places, but the industry has changed a lot. Today, there are dozens of providers, and many no longer price calls strictly based on distance. In some systems: Local

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Subject: Inmate search

The Clerk of the Court in the county where he is or was held. You can request all of the documents pertaining to his case. There might be a small charge to copy your request, but it will be the most accurate information avaiable to you.

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Subject: Bail & bond questions

It depends on what the fine is for. If it is a court fine or a restitution the money goes to that department or entity. The prison is not for profit and any money they receive has an obligation to marshal assets for the government when it is owed by someone in their custody. Even the money that the commissary takes in, if there is a "profit" it is rolled into inmate programs and inmate recreation costs.

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Subject: Bail & bond questions

A property bond is a bond that posts the value of tangible property, such as real estate, in order to obtain a pre-trial release from jail. In some cases, the value of the property may need to be twice as high as the bail amount in order for a property bond to be accepted. A property bond is not allowed in every state. A property bond may be obtained from a bail agent. Depending on the law of the

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Subject: Law & court questions - legal terms

Appeals are costly and largely yield a negative outcome. A successful appeal needs a specialist and a decent case (one where many judicial errors were made) for them to have a slim chance of prevailing. Sex offender cases are especially tough. In our opinion, unless there is DNA evidence that exonerates the offender, they rarely come out the way you hope. Sometimes the appellate route is for your conscience. You feel like you need to spend every dollar you

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Subject: Medical treatment

Call the camp counselor at the Jamestown facility directly and ask for a welfare or health update on your husband. That is the most direct path to getting information. You do not need a specific reason beyond being his family and wanting to confirm he is receiving care. Counselors deal with these calls and can at minimum confirm he is there and being attended to, even if they cannot share detailed medical information. The lack of contact over two

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Subject: Sentencing questions

No, there are no margins, only guidelines that the judges use to determine the length of the sentence. Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manual guides judges toward a sentence based on the facts that led to the conviction. The sentencing guidelines are advisory, not mandatory unlike mandatory minimums. Judges are allowed to go below or above someone’s guideline sentence depending on the circumstances of the case. Here’s an example of how a federal judge uses the guidelines to determine a

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Subject: Parole, probation & supervised release

Parole is set by the judge who sentenced him. Review the Judgement and Commitment Order to see a parole date. There are no legal maneuvers that will speed up the process. The best advice is to follow the "programming" suggested for him by his counselor and complete as many of these that he can before the parole hearing (if eligible). Compliance, contrition and rehabilitation are what the Board is looking for.

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Subject: Release questions

A 44 to 65 month sentence is an indeterminate sentence, which means he has a minimum and a maximum. He does not start at 65 and count down. He starts serving his sentence from day one, and 44 months is the earliest point at which he can be considered for parole. The 65-month number is the absolute ceiling, the longest he would serve if parole is denied repeatedly. The goal is to get to that parole board hearing as early

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Subject: Sentencing questions

Did they use a gun? How much was taken? What is the criminal history of the offender? These are factors used to calculate an offender's sentence and where they will do time.

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