Food and toiletry items cannot be sent directly to inmates at most county jails through Amazon or any other outside retailer, and Monroe County Jail in Illinois is no exception to that general rule. Correctional facilities restrict outside food shipments primarily for security reasons. Packages arriving from outside sources are difficult to screen thoroughly and have historically been used to introduce contraband. Unless a facility has a specific arrangement with an approved commissary package vendor, outside food simply does not get...

No. Direct communication between inmates at different facilities, or between male and female inmates within the same system, is strictly prohibited. There are no official lists or programs that facilitate inmate-to-inmate contact of any kind. Facilities work hard to prevent exactly that kind of communication because of the security and safety concerns it creates. What does exist is something different and entirely legitimate. There are pen pal services and platforms where an inmate can post a profile with their name and...

The Northern Reception and Classification Center (NRC) functions as the major adult male intake and processing unit for the entire state of Illinois. The NRC contains 1,800 beds in 24 housing units. Within the NRC is also the Stateville Minimum Security Unit. Inmates are admitted to the NRC in reception status. They remain in this status until they are transferred to a permanent institution. Privileges and movement are limited at the reception center. There is no set time frame for processing an inmate;...

Yes, and it is more welcome than you might expect. There is no rule requiring you to have a prior relationship with someone before sending them a letter, postcard, magazine, or commissary funds. Facilities process mail and deposits based on the inmate's name and ID number, not on the sender's relationship to them. You can send anonymously if you prefer, and many people who reach out to strangers inside choose to do exactly that. The need is real. A significant number of...

The math on a straight 25% reduction is straightforward. 25% of 48 months is 12 months. That leaves 36 months, or three years, as the time to be served before release eligibility under that calculation alone. Louisiana has gone through several sentencing reform efforts in recent years aimed at reducing the incarcerated population and cutting costs, and good time expansions for nonviolent offenders have been part of that picture. If the specific provision you are referring to applies to this case,...

The most common reason is that the inmate did something to lose the privilege. Work release is not a right, it is an earned status granted to inmates who have demonstrated they can be trusted with limited freedom in the community. When that trust is broken, the program ends and the inmate goes back to a standard facility. The specific violations that trigger removal vary but typically include failing to report to work, coming back to the facility late, testing positive...