Losing contact without warning is one of the most stressful things families deal with, and it happens more often than people realize. There are several common reasons why calls can stop abruptly from a county jail, and most of them are not cause for panic. The most frequent explanation is a phone account issue. If the funds ran out on his phone account or there is a problem with the approved contact list, calls will not go through regardless of whether...

Do not set up any account or put any money on any inmate account until you know exactly who you are dealing with. This is a known scam that circulates inside jails and prisons. Inmates sometimes contact random people or use numbers found in other inmates' address books, asking them to fund accounts. The money ends up in the inmate's commissary and the person on the outside is left with nothing. If you do not know who is asking, do...

The retroactive sentencing relief you are referring to is a federal statute tied to changes in how certain offenses, primarily drug-related, are calculated under the federal sentencing guidelines. When Congress or the United States Sentencing Commission revises guidelines retroactively, eligible inmates can petition to have their sentence recalculated under the new, more favorable framework. The specific percentages you mentioned, 50 percent and 35 percent, are not terms we recognize as standard federal sentencing benchmarks, so you may be working from a...

The letter and photo service from InmateAid is straightforward. You type up a letter and upload photos where applicable - proceed to the Pay Now page and complete the transaction. The letter order flows through our Admin area to the Processing Department. Letters are processed immediately upon entry unless it is after 4pm 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...

The "work release program" is designated for inmates who are doing time and have worked their way down custody status levels. Work release is at the very end of the spectrum - right before release giving the inmate some incentive for good behavior and following the programming recommendations of their counselor. As far as family services go, since this is pre-trial, there is little to offer the program directors if there is no disposition. The programs available to the indigient...

If you have not seen or spoken to the inmate in years, it is smart to verify their identity before getting too involved. Best ways to confirm: 1. Use an inmate locator: Search by full name and date of birth if possible This helps confirm: Facility location Age and identifying details 2. Ask for identifying details in your letter: Reference something only the real person would know Ask them to confirm: Date of birth Past shared experiences Mutual connections 3. Use a background or people search tool: Services like TruthFinder can help verify: Criminal records Location history Known aliases 4. Be...