A second CDV battery charge within a year is a serious situation and the repeat nature of it is what changes the calculus most significantly. Judges take a dim view of domestic violence repeat offenses, and a second charge within twelve months tells the court that the first charge produced no behavioral change. That pattern is exactly what drives harsher sentencing decisions. The leniency that sometimes exists for a first offense is largely gone by the time someone is standing before...

Yes, visitor approvals do not transfer between state prison systems. Each state runs its own independent approval process, and being approved in California has no bearing on your eligibility to visit in Arizona. You start the application process from scratch when an inmate moves to a different state's correctional system. Arizona's visitation application process differs from California's in one notable way. The Arizona Department of Corrections charges a fee for the visitor application, which covers the cost of the background check...

Whether you need to reapply depends on where your inmate is moving from and to, and the distinction matters practically. If your inmate moves within the same state correctional system, your visitor approval generally stays valid across facilities in that system. In Mississippi specifically, if your paperwork is on file with the Mississippi Department of Corrections and your inmate transfers from one MDOC facility to another, that approval travels with them. You do not need to start the process over every...

When a probation officer files a violation, the case goes back to the judge who originally sentenced your boyfriend. The PO submits a formal complaint to the court outlining the reasons for the violation, and the pending felony charge is the basis for that complaint. The violation itself is the legal mechanism the PO used to bring him back into custody while the new charge plays out. The pending felony charge and the probation violation are two separate legal matters that...

Getting halfway house time credited toward a prison sentence requires a formal legal process and cannot be accomplished through a simple phone call to the facility or the court. The correct path is filing a motion with the court requesting a hearing specifically to address the time credit issue. That motion needs to lay out the legal basis for why the halfway house time should count toward the sentence, cite the relevant statutes or case law that support the argument, and...

County jails have widely varying policies on care packages, and the first step is always to call the facility directly and ask what their specific rules are. Some jails accept packages from family, others only allow packages from approved vendors, and some do not permit outside packages at all. There is no universal standard at the county level. For facilities that do allow outside packages, items are typically restricted to approved clothing, hygiene products, and similar basics. Food is usually not...

The honest answer is that a prior 17-year prison sentence weighs heavily against any outcome that does not include additional incarceration on new charges. Criminal history is one of the most significant factors judges and prosecutors consider at every stage of a case, from charging decisions through plea negotiations to sentencing. Someone with a 17-year stretch already on their record is viewed very differently from a first-time offender facing similar charges. The prior sentence signals to the court that incarceration was...