Ask The Inmate. Real answers from people who've been there.

We are not good at giving relationship advice - but if the facts are exactly what you claim, there doesn't seem to be much to look forward to if this is how he repays your generosity. Regarding the charges and the potential plea, it certainly sounds serious and nothing to dismiss. There are components to consider in answering whether "he'll really cop that much time", what is his criminal history? does he have prior convictions? does he have money to...

Email availability varies by facility and is not universal across California state prisons. The fact that your fiance is seeing other inmates receive what appears to be email suggests some form of electronic messaging may be available at CIM, but the platform and process could be different from what you used at Vista Detention Facility. California state prisons that offer electronic messaging typically do so through JPay or a similar contracted provider rather than through a direct email address. If CIM...

Yes, you can send money while your fiancé is in reception at California Institution for Men, even if you do not see the facility listed the way you expect. For the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, all institutions use a single system for deposits. When using Western Union, you do not select the individual prison like CIM. Instead, you send funds through the CDCR system using: The correct CDCR receive code Your fiancé’s CDCR number and last name Important to know: Being in reception does not prevent him from receiving money Funds...

There is no public-facing system that broadcasts lockdown status at federal facilities in real time. Getting that information requires going directly to the people inside the institution who may or may not be willing to share it. Your best chance is to call USP Beaumont and ask specifically to speak with the Unit Team Secretary, a counselor, or a case manager. These are the staff members most likely to give you a useful answer. Regular correctional officers on the floor will...

The fastest and most reliable way to get the new number to your inmate is through a letter. Once they have the number in writing, they can submit it to their counselor or case manager for approval through the facility's phone system. InmateAid's letter service is the most straightforward way to do this. Log into your account, write a brief letter that clearly states the new local number, and send it. Letters to most facilities arrive within a few business days. When...

The process at a detention center works the same way it does at any jail or prison. Once your letter is printed and mailed by InmateAid, it enters the US Postal Service and arrives at the facility addressed to your family member with their full name and ID number on the envelope. From there the mail room staff open and inspect every piece of incoming mail for contraband before it goes anywhere near the inmate. That inspection is standard procedure across...

If you arrive at a facility and your family member has already used their maximum visitation allowance for the week, you will most likely be turned away without a visit. Facilities track visitation credits and enforce the limits strictly in most cases. Getting a message to an inmate through staff is possible but not reliable. Guards and correctional officers are generally not in the business of passing along informal messages from visitors who were not able to get in. Some facilities...

The phone service gets a local telephone number for your inmate to call you on - still using the prison telephone company to run the number through. The local line makes the calls at the lowest possible rate, because it is now local and not long distance. You will have to get the number to the inmate either by sending a letter or getting a message via a visit or one last "expensive call". Unfortunately, the prison staff will not...

If you sent the money yourself, confirming it was received is straightforward. Call the facility and ask to speak with the counselor or case manager assigned to your family member. They can look up the account balance and confirm whether a deposit is showing. Be prepared to answer basic verification questions about the transaction, such as the amount sent and the method used. If you are trying to find out whether someone else sent money to your family member's account, that...

There is no automatic confirmation when a letter reaches your inmate. However, if you have not heard anything and want to follow up, calling the facility's mail room directly is worth trying. Mail room staff can sometimes confirm whether a specific piece of mail was processed and distributed, though how cooperative they are varies by facility and by who answers the phone. On InmateAid's end, we only know a letter did not make it if it comes back to us as...

When a visitation request gets denied, the reason given is not always the real reason, and it is worth digging deeper before accepting the outcome. Age similarity to another approved visitor is not a standard basis for denying a visitation request. That explanation does not appear in any typical visitation policy and should raise questions. There may be something else going on that has not been communicated directly, whether that is a restriction on the inmate's end, a concern about the...

Traveling from England to visit someone at Southport Correctional Facility in New York is a significant journey, and knowing what to expect before you arrive will make the experience much less stressful. Southport is a maximum security facility that houses inmates in special housing units. Visits there are non-contact, meaning you and your family member will be separated by a screen and communicate by phone during the visit. There is no physical contact during the visit. Before you travel, call the facility....

Thank you for the kind words. An unresponsive attorney before a court date is a serious problem, and you are not without options even when it feels that way. Go above the public defender directly. Call the supervising attorney or chief public defender at the office handling the case. Explain clearly that calls and messages have gone unanswered and that a court date is approaching. Supervisors take these complaints seriously because an unresponsive attorney creates both professional liability and potential constitutional issues...

Video visitation availability depends entirely on the facility. Not every jail or prison offers webcam visits, and those that do use different platforms and have different procedures for setting them up. The first step is confirming whether your family member's facility offers video visitation at all. Call the facility directly and ask whether they have a video visitation program and which platform they use. Common providers include JPay, Securus, GTL, and Telmate, each of which has its own app or website...

Yes, bail can be posted without traveling in person a second time, and a bail bondsman is the most practical solution when distance is a factor. Here is how it works. A bail bondsman posts the full bail amount on your behalf in exchange for a non-refundable fee, typically 10% of the total bail. On a $50,000 bail that fee would be $5,000. The bondsman handles the posting process with the court directly, which means no one from your family needs...