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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: General prison questions-terminology

You will have to decide that for yourself. The incarceration process goes through many phases. First there is the arrest, the offender is taken into custody and booked in the nearest county jail. The charges are documented and the offender is given a bed whether it is in a cell or a dormitory style setting with rows of bunk beds. The next step is the arraignment where bail is set by a magistrate. If the offender makes bail, then their

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Subject: Medical treatment

When someone you care about is sick and in isolation, getting information out of a correctional facility can feel like hitting a wall. Knowing exactly who to contact makes a real difference in how quickly you get answers. The first person to reach out to is the inmate's case manager. Case managers are the primary point of contact for family members and they have access to housing and status information across the facility including segregation and isolation units. They

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Subject: Inmate phone calls

The phone service at all of the prisons, jails and detention centers are set up through bid process. The winner of the contract is the ONLY provider for that facility making them a monopoly. Whomever has the contract for all inmate outbound calling and to tape record the calls, then you have to use them to receive calls. The choice is whether you pay them for a long distance call or a local call (to a number we get for

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Subject: Relationship issues

We have no idea what will happen when they are released. You probably know your inmate better than we do, and know their personality better than us. But, there are countless stories where inmates often leave their significant others upon release. You know we can't be certain about the advice we are giving here, but the overwhelming majority of inmates "run" as soon as they are on their feet. An inmate that actually has an affair is even more likely

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Subject: Sentencing questions

Many of the website's for the facilities have a release date and others do not. To get an accurate date, you would need to call the facility and ask the counselor or case manager.

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Subject: Commissary

Thank you for loving this site! You can go to [eComm Direct](tdcj.state.tx.us/php/ecommdirect/index.php) and review the items on their website.

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Subject: Send books and magazines

Think of it like a wedding registry. The wish list gives others an idea of what they might get for someone they care about - it makes it easier to have a list of things you know they actually want to receive. Ask your inmate some of the things they's like on this list. What magazine titles would they like? What books interest them? Is there an author or genre that they prefer? Would they like a newspaper subscription. Inmates

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Subject: Inmate services & supplies

This comes up more than you might think, particularly in situations involving paternity questions, adoption reunions, or family members who lost contact years ago and are trying to establish a biological connection. Bringing a consumer DNA test kit to a prison visit is not something most facilities will allow. Anything coming into a visitation room is screened carefully, and outside testing materials are not going to make it through. The concern is always contraband and chain of custody, and

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Subject: General prison questions-terminology

The cost to incarcerate an inmate is an amount that is never covered by an inmate's housing charge. Most institutions are not charging inmates but the ones that do collect very small amounts compared to the actual cost the confine a prisoner. Your example is just silly, and if the inmate has money on their books, EVERY institution will take an agreed percentage specifically for restitution. Policies for charging inmates are popular with taxpayers, but collection is dubious as the

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Subject: Survive prison

There are no segregated penal systems anywhere in this country. The men and women are never placed together at any point of their incarceration

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