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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: Relationship issues

Sometimes the CO that is requesting him to visitation will tell them who is there to visit (especially if he asks). If he doesn't want to visit, maybe you should write to him first to smooth things out before you visit.

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Subject: Survive prison

There is literally nothing you can do. If he truly fears for his life, he needs to report to the captain or lieutenant and ask to be placed in protective custody (PC). This is not a great option, but it is better than being someplace where you fear for your life.

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Subject: Inmate transfer

There are no specific deadlines that they follow. When they come to transport an inmate from one jail to the next, it is on the timeline of the sheriff's convenience - and whatever court dates are scheduled. 

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Subject: Inmate phone calls

Go to inmateaid.com/shop/bop-calls to sign up for federal inmates; inmateaid.com/shop/calls for state inmates. Easy process: *Enter facility name *Enter their phone number *Enter their name and email address *Pay $8.95 for FEDERAL with cc or debit card via encrypted third-party tokenization platform *Pay $19.95 for STATE with cc or debit card via encrypted third-party tokenization platform *Local number is delivered instantly on the screen, texted and emailed, too. *Each month on the same date, $8.95 (or $19.95) will

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Subject: Survive prison

Speaking from 66 months of direct experience, a one-year sentence is on the lighter end of what the system hands out, and the environment that comes with it reflects that. Short-term inmates are typically placed in minimum or low-security facilities where the general population is made up of people who are also close to the door and have no interest in making trouble. Everyone is counting down and most people just want to get through it cleanly. Prison rape

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Subject: Inmate search

Send us his name and we will get it for you

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Subject: Marriage in prison

In some rare cases, you can marry an inmate. The inmate must be a long-time offender, in state or federal prison. County jails will not allow marriage. One thing we would like you to think about - maybe you should wait until they get out. You want to remember this day as special. Doing it in prison is less than that.

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Subject: Prison rumors & jail scams

The $200 per month figure is reasonable for covering an inmate's basic needs inside. That amount handles phone calls, commissary essentials like food and hygiene products, and leaves a small buffer for other incidentals. It is a generous but not excessive level of support for someone at a Pennsylvania state facility. The loan is a serious problem and needs to be addressed directly. Taking out a loan at 27% annual interest to fund an inmate's commissary account is

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Subject: Send inmate money

The prison provides the basics necessary to do their time without any problems. However, they will not be able to make telephone calls or purchase anything at the commissary. We would guess that a good percentage of inmates get money sent in for the little extras that help make their time easier to do. If you can send money, it would be appreciated but do not send money you do not have (like taking a loan or putting it on your credit card). 

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Subject: General prison questions-terminology

Yes, when inmates are getting transferred, they are told to "pack out". This entails getting all of your property in one box and "packed" for shipping to the new locale. Most of what may be packed are letters, photos, reading material and some items bought at the commissary

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