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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.

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Subject: Medical treatment

Inmates can get medical attention by filling out a "cop-out" and submitting it to their counselor. There are no incidents of inmates actually being denied medical treatment. Inmates with flu-like symptoms are encouraged to purchase over-the-counter remedies at the commissary. Some inmates use medical treatment to as a vehicle to be treated differently or to get atttention. We are not saying this is the case here, but there are instances where the inmate complains to their family, only to discover

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Subject: General prison questions-terminology

We do not make that public access information.

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Subject: Commissary

Depending on where your inmate is incarcerated, they will have a weekly or monthly spending limit. Most county jails have a $50-75 per week limit. Federal has a $340 per month spending limit. There are also the cost of the phone calls to be considered. You should budget according to your own needs first and then the inmate's. Some people on the outside worry about their inmate so much on the inside that they send them more money than they

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Subject: Money transfer

If you funded the account online, it should only take a couple of hours. If you sent it by [money](https://www.inmateaid.com/shop/send-money) order then it could take 7-10 days

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Subject: Arrest record search

Yes, almost certainly. Fingerprints do not lie and they do not forget. When someone is booked into a jail or prison, their fingerprints are run through databases that law enforcement agencies have been building for decades. The two primary systems are the FBI's Next Generation Identification system and state-level AFIS databases, which stands for Automated Fingerprint Identification System. If that person has ever been fingerprinted before, for any reason, including a prior arrest, military service, a government job, or

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Subject: Commissary

Not all county jails offer people the ability to send in commissary packages. There are five or six companies that provide the service but they have to hav ea preset arrangement with the institution to do so. Our advise is to call the jail itself and ask a staff membe because they are not listing anything on their website - 972-204-7001

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Subject: Send inmate mail

Inmates that have money on their inmate trust accounts can purchase stamps and envelopes at the weekly commissary. If they do not have money on their books, the prison will provide indigent inmates with all the materials necessary to send out mail to their loved ones. If your inmate writes to you directly, using your address, the cost of the mailing is a 49 cent stamp. Many of our members use the Inmate Response Mail service through InmateAid. Your

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Subject: Law & court questions - legal terms

Appealing one's sentence before the Appeals Court is a long shot in most cases. We recommend finding an expert lawyer that not only handles only appeals but one that specializes in the exact type of conviction your inmate was handed down. Appellate Court is no place for an inmate, nor will they be allowed to attend. This is for the prosecutor from the original case and your lawyer who will argue the points in the filing that got the hearing

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Subject: Sentencing questions

The federal judge in this case has a guideline that they must go by. The factors are criminal history, level of violence, money involved and the basic points of the crime. Once they have a range, it is entirely up to the judge. The prosecutor will make their recommendation, if your daughter is pleading to a charge that was negotiated, then she will know what they are suggesting. They have already told her that they can only recommend the sentence,

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Subject: Prison food

Inmates that are in disciplinary hold, also called the Special Housing Unit (SHU), or the hole, or the "box" are given three square meals. In fact, they are given hefty portions to keep them calm. Food is the least of their worries while isolated there. Inmates in this situation are usually restricted from buying too many items from the commissary making it near impossible to feed themselves.

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