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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: General prison questions-terminology

Norco is a state prison, part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation system. It is formally known as the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in Norco. It is not a county jail. That means he is now in the state prison system rather than a local county facility. The reason he was able to call you so quickly this time is likely because his information carried over from his previous placement. When inmates transfer within the same system,

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Subject: Commissary

Visitation is different in every prison system. Whether it is federal, state or state, they all have a set of rules that have to be followed - where your inmate may have to place you on a list. Some require a form to be filled out and background check performed (Arizona requires you to pay a fee for that check). Others allow you to come straight in with just a government ID. What prison are you thinking about visiting, we

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Subject: Sentence reduction

Whether parole is possible depends entirely on the jurisdiction and the specific language in the sentencing order. In the federal system, there is no parole. Federal inmates serve 85 percent of their sentence with good time credits as the primary mechanism for earlier release. On a 36-month federal sentence, that works out to approximately 30 months served under ideal circumstances. With one year already completed, there would be roughly 18 months remaining under that calculation. In state systems,

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Subject: Inmate phone calls

If he got moved, you might need another number. If you do, we will get it for you at no additional charge. If they are both in the TDCJ, the carrier is going to remain Securus but we will check to see if you need another number. The Texas number you have would be the same price you've been paying, but we found another number that would carve another $0.75 off the per-call price. Would you like that number?

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Subject: Parole & probation

A second probation violation, particularly one that has escalated from a misdemeanor to a felony level, puts your fiancé in a genuinely difficult position before the original sentencing judge in Virginia. Here is what typically happens. When someone violates probation, they go back before the judge who originally gave them probation instead of a longer sentence. That judge made a decision to show leniency the first time. A second violation signals to the court that the leniency was not

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Subject: Prison rumors & jail scams

The question you are asking is the right one, and the fact that you are asking it out loud suggests you already have a sense of the answer. That clarity deserves to be respected rather than talked around. Incarceration creates a specific kind of dynamic where an inmate's ability to act on their feelings is genuinely limited. They cannot show up, cannot provide, cannot demonstrate love through action in the ways that a relationship outside requires. Some people who

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Subject: Send inmate mail

Yes, you can set it up so that your inmate’s reply comes back to you online, but it is not a traditional “prepay” like paying for their postage. What you are doing is using the InmateAid Response Mail service. Here is how it works: When you send your letter, the return address is set to InmateAid, not your home Your inmate writes back like normal using regular mail The letter is sent to InmateAid’s address

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Subject: Send inmate mail

The letter order flows through our Admin area to the Processing Department. Letters are processed immediately upon entry unless it is after 6pm on Saturday, then the letters do not go through the process until Monday morning. You may check in your My Account area to see the status of your letter order. We estimate that it takes 2-3 business days to make it to the jail. Once there, the staff opens and reads each piece of mail and inspects

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Subject: General prison questions-terminology

When someone first arrives at a prison like Huntsville, they go through a process called Admissions and Orientation, often referred to as A and O. This is a short intake period where the facility evaluates them, assigns housing, and sets up their file. During this time, access to phones, visits, and even regular mail routines can be limited or delayed. The intake process usually lasts about a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the facility

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Subject: Sentencing questions

California Proposition 47, passed by voters in November 2014, reduced certain non-violent drug and property offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. It authorized defendants currently serving sentences for felony offenses that would have qualified as misdemeanors under the proposition to petition courts for resentencing under the new misdemeanor provisions. Individuals currently serving sentences in jail or prison or under court supervision for crimes reduced to misdemeanors under Prop 47 would be eligible for reductions and resentencing. The qualifying offenses include

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