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

Receiving a letter from the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles this early in a sentence is not unusual for non-violent offenders, and it is a positive sign, but it requires careful reading before drawing conclusions. A tentative parole review date is exactly what the language says it is: tentative. It means the board has reviewed the case based on guideline settings, which are formula-driven calculations that take into account offense type, sentence length, good time credits, and other factors, and...

The stories that travel fastest about any prison are the worst ones. That is true of every federal penitentiary, and Pollock is no exception. Bad news moves quickly, good news rarely makes it out at all. That is worth keeping in mind when evaluating what you have heard. USP Pollock is a United States Penitentiary, which means it houses a higher-security population than a low or medium facility. It is not a soft assignment. But it operates under the same Bureau...

When an inmate is written up for something like theft, the facility will hold a disciplinary hearing to decide what actually happened and what the consequences will be. These hearings can be tough, and outcomes often depend on: The evidence against him His past behavior and disciplinary record How he presents himself during the hearing If he was on a level 2 status, possible outcomes could include: Dropping him to a lower level Loss of privileges like phone, commissary, or visitation for a period of time Loss of good time credits...

At $17.00 for 15 minutes, the case for finding a cheaper solution is obvious. That works out to over $1.13 per minute, and for families trying to stay connected through a long sentence, those costs become a serious burden fast. InmateAid's discount phone service does work with Securus in the majority of cases. That said, we will be straight with you: Securus is not 100% seamless across every facility the way some other carriers are. In states like Arizona and Texas,...

La Palma Correctional Facility in Eloy, Arizona houses California state prisoners under a contract arrangement. Even though your grandson is physically located in Arizona, he remains a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation inmate, which means the money transfer process runs through California's system, not Arizona's. Western Union works for this situation. When processing the transfer, you will need your grandson's California inmate ID number, not any Arizona facility number. On the Western Union site, process the payment through CCA, which...

The overall message is intended to seep into the state system however Holder is the AG where his jurisdiction is federal. The state courts do not sentence under the federal mandatory minimum. The first category of crimes that will benefit are the first time non-violent offenders. Habitual and violent criminals will not get the same "benefit of the doubt". The sentencing restructure is aimed eliminating draconian sentences for minor drug offenses - where they have in the past been sentencing...

There is no universal rule that applies to every facility. Each institution sets its own property limits, and those limits can vary significantly between a county jail, a state prison, and a federal facility. The general principle in most facilities is that books sent in from approved vendors belong to the inmate and can be kept in their cell. The practical limit is space. When books accumulate to the point where they are considered a fire hazard or a storage problem,...

SO number stands for Sex Offender number. It is an identification number assigned to individuals who have been convicted of a sex offense and are required to register under their state's sex offender registry. The SO number is separate from an inmate's prison ID number. It is the identifier used by law enforcement and registry systems to track registered sex offenders, and it stays with the individual after release as long as they remain on the registry. If you are trying to...

ADX Florence operates under stricter conditions than any other federal facility in the country, and that extends to visitation. There is no standard visitation schedule the way you would find at a typical federal prison. Visits are determined on a case-by-case basis by the warden, and most inmates at ADX are heavily restricted. In many cases, only legal visits are permitted. Because these policies can and do change, calling the facility directly for current visitation rules is the most reliable...

ADX Florence in Colorado is the most secure federal prison in the United States. It houses inmates whose profiles or histories are considered too high-risk for any other facility, including individuals who have threatened or harmed staff, escaped from other institutions, or whose cases carry significant national security concerns. The conditions there are severe by design. Solitary confinement at ADX and in other high-security settings is not primarily about physical deprivation. The hardship is the isolation itself, the near-total absence of...

In a federal supermax setting, such as ADX Florence, solitary confinement is extremely restrictive, and daily life is very controlled. Conditions and routine: Inmates are typically confined to their cells for about 23 to 24 hours a day. Movement outside the cell is limited and done under strict supervision, often with restraints. Recreation time, if allowed, is usually alone in a secure area. What they can receive: Even in solitary, inmates are generally allowed: Mail and letters Photos (within facility guidelines) Books, magazines, and newspapers sent from approved vendors Limited commissary items,...

Yes, when you send a letter through InmateAid, the inmate can tell it came from the service. The envelope includes the InmateAid name and return address, so it is clearly identified. When your inmate writes back, they send their reply to the InmateAid address shown on the envelope. Once received, the letter is scanned and uploaded to your account. Here is how the reply process works: The inmate mails their response to the InmateAid return address The letter is scanned into your account You receive...

Once you send a letter through InmateAid, processing and delivery to federal facilities typically takes one to two business days. The mail goes out quickly and InmateAid has established relationships with facilities across the country that help keep the process moving smoothly. On the return side, yes, your inmate can write back to InmateAid's address. Many inmates do exactly that, particularly when the person writing to them prefers to keep their home address private. When a reply arrives at our address,...

Delivery time depends on when you placed the order. Letters and photos ordered on a Sunday go out on Monday, since mail processing does not run over the weekend. From there, delivery to the facility typically takes one to three business days depending on location. Mail call at most facilities happens once a day, usually around 5:00 PM. So even after a letter arrives at the facility, your inmate will not receive it until the next scheduled mail call. If you ordered...