Ask The Inmate. Real answers from people who've been there.

A denial based on an open OUI case from three years ago with no felonies and no other record is worth appealing, and the warden's office is exactly where that appeal needs to go. The process is straightforward but the approach matters enormously. Write a formal letter addressed to the warden at MCI Cedar Junction. Keep the tone humble, respectful, and focused entirely on why granting the visit is appropriate rather than arguing about why the denial was wrong. Wardens respond...

Bond and home detention are two distinct mechanisms that both allow someone to avoid or leave jail, but they work differently and are granted under different circumstances. Bond is determined at the initial appearance before a judge or magistrate, typically within 24 to 72 hours of arrest. The judge weighs factors including the severity of the charge, criminal history, ties to the community, flight risk, and public safety before setting an amount. Once set, the full amount can be posted in...

Yes, you can mail the power of attorney document directly to your brother and he can get it handled inside. This is more common than people expect and correctional facilities have a process for it. Once the document arrives through the mail, your brother needs to request access to a notary through the facility's main office or administrative staff. Most prisons and jails have a notary available on staff or can arrange access to one, specifically because legal documents like power...

Two disciplinary tickets adding up to over six months of sanctions is serious, and the concern you feel as a parent is completely understandable. But the harder truth is that this is also a critical moment that could go one of two ways for your son. At 19, he is at an age where the habits and patterns he establishes now inside will follow him. Inmates who accumulate tickets early tend to accumulate more. Each one goes on their institutional record,...

Yes, your inmate must dial the new InmateAid number. That is not a technicality, it is the entire mechanism behind how the discount works. The price difference on inmate phone calls is determined by the number being dialed, not by the account or any setting on your end. Phone carriers at correctional facilities charge different rates based on the destination number, specifically whether it is a local call or a long distance call. InmateAid assigns you a number in a local...

The most reliable way to get a current answer on this is to call the facility directly at 972-441-6160. Visitation policies, particularly following the COVID-related restrictions that affected facilities nationwide, have been in flux and what was true a few months ago may not reflect current policy. Staff at the facility can tell you exactly what the current visitation format is, whether in-person contact visits are available, what the schedule looks like, and what you need to do to get...

The frustration with GTL is completely valid and extremely common. They operate as the exclusive carrier at thousands of facilities, which means no competition and no incentive to keep rates reasonable. Families end up paying whatever GTL charges because there is no alternative on that end of the call. The first thing worth fixing regardless of whether you use InmateAid is to stop accepting collect calls. Collect is the most expensive rate GTL offers, and every call you accept that way...

There are several reasons why this could happen, not all are bad reasons. They could be moved to a lower security level facility as their custody status could change as they get closer to the door. They could be moved to a jail near where they are going to appear in court. OR, they could be moved to a higher security level facility for infractions including fighting, contraband or separate issues. Ask your inmate why they moved him, he definitely...

The good news is that you have already done your part by setting up the account. Now it is a matter of waiting out the orientation period on his end. When an inmate arrives at a reception or classification center like CRC, they go through an intake process before any privileges open up. That means medical screening, psychological evaluation, classification interviews, and orientation to the facility's rules and expectations. Until that process is complete, phone access, visitation, and commissary are all...

This comes down to how the two systems interact, and it is worth understanding before assuming something went wrong. InmateAid does not replace the facility's phone carrier or eliminate their charges. What InmateAid does is analyze the carrier's own rate data to determine whether a different forwarding number can get calls to you at a lower published rate than what your current number generates. If your number is already being billed at the lowest tariff the carrier offers for your location,...

A full month of silence from someone who was calling regularly is not normal, and it deserves a direct explanation. Facilities do not restrict phone access without reason, but they also do not notify family members when they do it. If your man received an incident report for a rule violation, loss of phone privileges for three to six months is a standard consequence. That penalty gets imposed quietly on their end and the people waiting for calls on the outside...