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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.

Ask your question or browse previous questions in response to comments or further questions of members of the InmateAid community.

Subject: Inmate phone calls

Pretty much immediately if you are not on some sort of restriction. The delays happen when the inmate does already have an approved call list. If they are already in the system, there should  not be a delay

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Subject: Relationship issues

Unfortunately, you already know the answer to this one.  Your loved one is still using and no matter how they appear most of the time, those unexplained absences are explained when he violates (as a result of a UI or other tests). The only person that can change is the person using - they have to want to change or nothing will change.

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Subject: Pending criminal charges

You can ask your inmate. They always know what the deal is. Federal cases are harder to find information about unless you know the jurisdiction where the indictment stems. You have to find out where the inmate caught their charge and then go to the clerk of that District Court.

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Subject: Relationship issues

If you are asking how to get an inmate to take a paternity test. We assume you're asking because they won't do it voluntarily - you will have to get a court order that compels the facility to release the results of the DNA test for that person, that is done on all inmates.

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Subject: Send inmate mail

yes

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Subject: Prison discipline

Lockdown means that the compound is essentially "locked-down" from normal operations. There are no visits, no phone privileges, no commissary. Just 24/7; locked in their cells. It becomes a stressful environment for the days, weeks or sometimes months of "punishment" until it is lifted. Inmates do still receive mail.

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Subject: General prison questions-terminology

Life inside prison is like the movie "Groundhog Day". Every day is the exact same as the day before. Boredom dominates the menu. The only way to sanity is to get into a routine you can live with. You have a lot of time to think and getting into a routine takes you away from lamenting on your situation and more towards feeling as though you have a purpose and some hope for a better future.

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Subject: Relationship issues

There is not much you can do about your suspicion except ask your GF. There are no guards that will violate the rules and communicate what transpires inside the prison. If you know another inmate, maybe they can help you. But if you suspect something, it probably is happening. We wish you the best.

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Subject: General prison questions-terminology

There is a short intake period after booking before most privileges are activated. The exact timeline varies by facility, but at a typical county jail like Smith County you are generally looking at a few days to about a week before visitation and commissary access open up. During that window, the inmate is being processed, classified, and assigned to their housing unit. Mail is the exception. InmateAid's letter and postcard service can reach a newly booked inmate even during

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