Commissary access does not open up the moment someone walks through the door, and that applies to phone calls and visitation as well. Everything is on hold until orientation is complete. When an inmate arrives at a reception or evaluation center, the facility's first priority is processing, not comfort. That means medical screening, classification interviews, housing assignment, property inventory, and orientation to the rules and expectations of the institution. Until that process is finished, no privileges are extended. It is not...

Inmates can be placed in the SHU for a variety of reasons. there are two designations, one Administrative and the other Disciplinary. If he was put in Administrative Segregation, it could be for their own protection if there is a credible threat. The other is if the rules were broken. He might have been in a situation where he didn't do anything but gets locked up for "investigation", and won't get released into the general population until there is a...

It happens, but it is not the standard. Most work release inmates follow the schedule of whatever employer they are working for, and many employers observe major federal holidays like Veterans Day with closures. When the employer is closed, there is no work assignment and the inmate stays at the facility. However, some employers do operate on holidays, particularly in industries like retail, hospitality, food service, and certain government functions. Work release inmates placed with those employers may well be working...