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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: Send books and magazines

The magazines are limited because the prisons don't accept all titles. We have 1000s of "good" titles that we cannot offer because for the restrictions. Amazon is great for books, but only okay for magazines, you just need to know if it is prison-acceptable or it'll get sent back.

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Subject: Inmate phone calls

No, inmates cannot receive calls. Inmates may only make outbound calls to phone numbers on their approved calling list. They must have money on their account to connect the call. Inmates may also call you "collect", although this is the most expensive way to receive calls. Click here to set up an account

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Subject: Pending criminal charges

InmateAid does not have access to court calendars, pretrial orders, or case-specific information, so that is not something that can be answered from here. But the information you are looking for is public record and accessible through the right channels. The Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court is your first call. The clerk's office maintains the court calendar and can tell you whether a hearing is scheduled, what the next court date is, and what the current status of the

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Subject: Send inmate mail

It's sent by regular mail posted from San Francisco. It normally takes 2-3 days to arrive at the facility mail room and the mail is handed out at mail call

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Subject: Inmate transfer

It depends on the type of transfer and which systems are involved, and the answer is different for each scenario. For federal to federal transfers, the approved call list is tied to the inmate's register number and travels with them through the Bureau of Prisons system. There is no formal waiting period, but there is typically a practical gap of a few days to a week while the inmate goes through intake at the new facility, gets assigned to

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Subject: Visitation

Here is a link to all of the rules, schedules and approval process for the Wasco State Prison

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Subject: Visitation

Yes, but you might have to go through a short approval process beforehand, however, they will not deny a spouse visitation regardless of the felony status.

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Subject: Parole, probation & supervised release

Yes, probably. He will have to get the Probation Office in the county he wishes to transfer to in Virginia to coordinate the transfer of supervision over to them. It is a very common thing, however, the offender must have a suitable home to live in, a job and the ability to pay back any fees related to the supervision. Not to mention, his conduct record, while incarcerated, will have a large bearing on whether they will consider this.

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Subject: General prison questions-terminology

The lights out protocol in a county jail marks the transition from the active portion of the day to overnight operations. At most county facilities this happens at around 9:30pm, though the specific time can vary by institution and sometimes by housing unit within the same facility. When lights out is called, inmates are expected to return to their cells or assigned sleeping areas. Movement through the facility is restricted, phone access is typically cut off or significantly limited,

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Subject: Inmate search

Jodi Arias is incarcerated in the Arizona State Prison Complex - Perryville, Lumpley-Unit, a maximum security prison for women. She has a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

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