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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: Money transfer

Lewis Prison, formally the Lewis Complex, is an Arizona Department of Corrections facility in Buckeye and there are several reliable options for getting money onto your inmate's books. The three most commonly used services are JPay, MoneyGram, and Western Union. All three are established platforms that process inmate deposits and each charges a transaction fee that varies based on the amount being sent and the payment method you use. The fees are comparable across the three services but can

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Subject: Bail & bond questions

If he does not post bail, he will have to sit until and throughout the trial. The bond is to assure his appearance. Without the money to back up the promise to appear, the prosecution doesn't trust he will on his own recognizance. 

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Subject: Visitation

yes, it is arranged by the correctional officers and coordinated via internal schedules for video visitations

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Subject: Sentencing questions

Alien smuggling is a federal offense prosecuted by the US Attorney's office, and the sentencing range varies significantly depending on the specific charges in the indictment and the circumstances surrounding the offense. The base federal statute for alien smuggling under 8 U.S.C. § 1324 carries up to five years per count for bringing undocumented individuals into the country. That number increases substantially if aggravating factors are present. If the smuggling resulted in serious bodily injury, if weapons were involved,

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Subject: Visitation

The Bland Correctional Center is a male reception and classification facility. Its role is to intake offenders from the local jails and process them into the Department. It houses inmates classified to multiple levels of security. This is a state prison in the Virginia Department of Corrections, their statement on mail and visitation are as follows: The Department of Corrections encourages inmate correspondence that is directed to socially useful goals. Inmates shall be allowed to correspond with families, friends, attorneys,

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Subject: Inmate phone calls

It varies depending on the facility rules. If they are in county, there is no restriction. If they are in state or federal, there is an approval process that could take a couple days or a couple weeks.

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Subject: Inmate phone calls

The reception center has more strict guidelines for inmate calling. There is an orientation period (maybe 2 weeks) that has to be completed before the inmates may submit their call list to the administration for approval.

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Subject: Law & court questions - legal terms

You can check with the Clerk of the County Court and ask if "Person XYZ" has been indicted. They are not the enforcement division, so you need not fear that this question will alert them to stir something up. This is where the lawyers file their motions and briefs, the people working there are "clerks of the court".

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Subject: Visitation

A felony conviction does not automatically end the conversation, but it does mean the standard approval process will not work for you. The background check that every visitor goes through flags felony records, and a standard application will come back denied. The path that exists for your situation runs through the warden's office. A special visitation waiver can be requested, and wardens do grant them in circumstances where the applicant makes a compelling case. A 2014 conviction with completed

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Subject: Inmate transfer

This process could take a few months before transfer (or it could be tomorrow). The issue is logistics and bed space. The offenders come into the Reception Center and are then interviewed and counseled on their upcoming sentence. There is a plan put in place, inmate programming that is recommended to the offender. Depending on how that is received by them, they'll move nim along to permanent housing which is designated by the administration, as to their custody level, etc.

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