Subject: Send inmate mail
Forwarding books or packages:
County jails almost never forward mail or packages if an inmate has been moved. If you send a book from Amazon and your inmate is transferred before it arrives, it will usually:
Be returned to the sender, or
Be rejected or lost in the system
Forwarding is rare and typically only happens within certain systems, not at the county jail level.
What you should do instead:
Try to confirm the inmate’s current location before ordering
If already shipped, monitor tracking and contact the seller if needed
Sending letters:
Yes, you can...
Read moreSubject: Pending criminal charges
Being jailed for child support contempt while genuinely unemployed is a difficult situation, but the path forward requires engaging the system rather than fighting it.
The first and most important step is filing a formal motion to modify the child support order based on the change in financial circumstances. Loss of employment is a recognized basis for modification in every state, but the modification does not happen automatically. It requires a motion filed with the court, and the new amount only...
Read moreSubject: Inmate search
There are two inmate search functions. One is the search of inmate profiles set up by our members. The second are the locators by the jurisdiction. To use them, you will need to know the state they are in and the jurisdiction where they were prosecuted. If you give us some more information we will help you find him.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
If someone is being held for contempt due to unpaid child support, the timeline for a court date can vary, but it is usually handled fairly quickly, often within a few days to a couple of weeks depending on the court’s schedule.
To get exact information, you can:
Contact the Clerk of Court in the county handling the case
Ask about the next hearing or status of the case
Can he go to prison for this?
Typically, this is a civil contempt issue, not a criminal sentence. That means:
He...
Read moreSubject: Prison discipline
Yes. Being placed in the SHU, also known as segregation or the hole, does not cut off mail. Inmates in disciplinary or administrative segregation can still send and receive letters. Mail is one of the few things that continues uninterrupted regardless of disciplinary status at most facilities.
Phone access is more restricted. Inmates in the SHU are typically limited to one call per week in most facilities, compared to the broader access available in general population. Some facilities allow slightly more,...
Read moreSubject: Visitation
According to the facility's published information, visiting hours at Philadelphia House of Correction run Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Visitors must sign in by 3:30 PM to be processed for a visit that day. Arriving after the sign-in cutoff means you will not get in regardless of how early the listed hours end.
Before making the trip, call the facility directly at 215-685-8215 to confirm the current schedule and verify any specific requirements for your husband's housing...
Read moreSubject: Relationship issues
What you described, being hit repeatedly while he watched without feeling, is not a relationship that changed. It is the same relationship revealing itself again. The blank stare you saw is important information. Trust it.
People who have spent years in active addiction and who have a history of violence do sometimes genuinely change. But that change shows up in sustained, consistent behavior over time, not in words spoken from a jail cell where someone has nothing but time to work...
Read moreSubject: Send books and magazines
The most meaningful gift you can send an incarcerated person is something that helps them escape mentally and pass the time with purpose. Inside, that almost always means books.
If your husband enjoys reading, a book is genuinely the most valuable thing you can send into a federal prison. A few titles and authors that tend to resonate with readers inside:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is the first in a gripping trilogy that pulls you in completely....
Read moreSubject: Send inmate mail
The inmateAID service is not email, it is postal mail. The estimated time for delivery is 1-3 business days. There are potential delays once inside the mail room as the staff opens all mail inspecting for contraband. If you have questions about inmate ID or location, you can use the inmate locator for that facility page inside inmateAID or their jurisdiction (federal or state). If you need our help, just ask!
Subject: Send inmate mail
The same rules that apply at jails and prisons apply at correctional boot camps. All incoming mail is opened and inspected by staff, and any photos containing nudity will be confiscated before they ever reach your family member.
The line is the same across virtually every correctional setting: bikinis and lingerie are permitted as long as private areas are covered. Anything that crosses into explicit nudity gets rejected at the mail room, and in some cases repeated attempts to send prohibited...
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