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

Physical contact during prison visits is allowed in most facilities but within limits that vary by security level and individual facility policy. The standard in most state and federal prisons is a brief embrace and kiss on arrival and another when the visit ends. That contact is generally accepted across custody levels as long as it is brief and appropriate. Extended physical contact or anything that draws staff attention is where things get cut off. Hand-holding during the visit itself is more...

It depends entirely on the facility and the inmate's custody level. Many prisons and jails do offer contact visits where you sit in the same room as the inmate without any barrier between you. Others use non-contact visitation where you speak through glass or via phone handsets with no physical proximity. Some facilities have moved to video-only visitation, which means you are not in the same room at all. State prisons at lower security levels, federal camps, and minimum-security facilities are...

If your mailing came through InmateAid, the return address on everything he received is InmateAid's office in South Florida, not your address in Australia. He can write a letter back to that address, and InmateAid will receive it, scan it, and post it to your account so you can read it. The cost to retrieve a return letter is minimal. The process is the same whether you are in the next town or on the other side of the world. He...

First, a little context on what InmateAid actually is. InmateAid is a service that allows people on the outside to send letters, postcards, photos, and magazines to inmates, and allows inmates to write back through the site. It is not a social network, a dating platform, or a way for inmates to reach out to strangers. The inmate himself cannot initiate contact through InmateAid. Someone on the outside has to send something first. So the more useful question is not whether...

Phone access during quarantine is extremely limited. The quarantine period functions similarly to the SHU in terms of communication restrictions, meaning phone privileges are reduced to roughly one call per week rather than the standard schedule. Do not count on regular contact during those first two weeks. There is also the orientation piece to consider. Even after quarantine ends, most facilities require inmates to complete an Admissions and Orientation process before full phone privileges are activated. If those two things overlap,...

One hour of out-of-cell time per day is a recognized minimum standard for inmates in restricted housing, and the facility has an obligation to provide it. It is not a privilege that can simply be withheld without documented justification. From the inside, the most important step is for your friend to file a grievance through the facility's formal grievance process, in writing, documenting each day that rec time was denied with the date and what happened. That creates a paper trail....

You might be able to visit this weekend, but do not make the trip without calling first. A few things need to fall into place before you can walk through the door. The biggest factor is whether you are already on his approved visitor list. If your name and information were submitted and cleared at his previous facility, that approval may not automatically transfer to the new one. Many facilities require visitors to go through their own approval process, which can...

Yes, inmates diagnosed with sleep apnea can and do use CPAP machines inside correctional facilities. It is a medically necessary device for a documented health condition, and facilities are required to accommodate legitimate medical needs. The process typically involves getting diagnosed or having an existing diagnosis recognized by the facility's health services, and then having the equipment approved and issued or retained through the medical department. On whether they get to take it home at release, that is where it gets...

Yes to both. InmateAid's magazine store carries a wide selection of titles across many categories, and Inked is available in the art section. You can order it directly through InmateAid at inmateaid.com/shop/magazines, and it will be shipped to your inmate at their facility. Magazine subscriptions are one of the most practical gifts you can send to someone doing time. Reading material breaks up the monotony and gives an inmate something to look forward to each month. Inked, in particular, tends to...