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

Other inmates will not automatically know that your son is getting help from you, but information inside spreads quickly if it is talked about openly. In most facilities, inmates pay close attention to each other, especially when someone is new or dealing with an active case. The biggest concern is not the help itself, but how much your son shares. Having outside support, legal research, or family involvement is not a problem on its own. Many inmates have people helping them...

Sexual assault in federal prison is not common but it is a reality that deserves an honest answer rather than a dismissive one. Like sexual assault on the outside, many incidents inside go unreported. The reasons are similar, fear of retaliation, shame, distrust of the reporting process, and uncertainty about whether anything will change. The Prison Rape Elimination Act, known as PREA, was passed specifically to address this problem and requires all federal facilities to have reporting mechanisms, investigation protocols, and prevention...

In many cases, an inmate’s release date is public information, but how easy it is to find depends on where they are incarcerated. For federal inmates, release dates are usually available through the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator, which is the most consistent and reliable source. For state and county inmates, it varies. Some states provide release dates through online databases or systems like VineLink, while others may only show limited information such as custody status. County jails are the least consistent, and many...

You cannot call an inmate directly at Waupaca County Jail or any other jail or prison. All phone calls must be initiated by the inmate. This is a standard rule across correctional facilities. Inmates are the only ones allowed to place outgoing calls, and those calls are made through the jail’s approved phone system. As for cost, inmates are not charged just to receive a call since incoming calls are not allowed. The cost applies only when they place a call. Depending on how...

As a father who has been through incarceration myself, I can tell you that willingly cutting off contact with your child is almost unthinkable from the inside. I spent every day of my sentence doing everything I could to stay connected to my children. I was terrified they would forget me. Every letter, every call, every photograph I could send was an act of holding on. Contact with the outside world is hope for the future and for an incarcerated...

When sending money through Western Union to an inmate at ASPC Florence-Globe, the “account number” field must be entered in a very specific format. You will combine the inmate’s ID number and last name with no spaces between them. Example: 123456Smith Here are the key points to get it right: Use the inmate’s full ID number Immediately follow it with the last name Do not add spaces, commas, or special characters Make sure the spelling matches exactly what the facility has on file If the format is incorrect, the payment may be delayed or...

In most facilities, there is no reliable way to notify an inmate immediately that you added money to their phone account other than sending a letter. Inmates usually check their balances periodically, so your fiancé may discover the funds on his own the next time he reviews his account or tries to place a call. If the situation is urgent, you can try contacting the facility and asking if staff will pass along a message. However, this is not something they...

No, both of you are not being charged for the same call. The prompt asking you to “press 1 to accept” is standard for nearly all inmate phone systems and does not automatically mean you are paying. That message serves two purposes: It notifies you that the call is coming from a correctional facility It asks you to accept the call connection Whether you are charged depends on how the call is set up: Inmate-paid calls: If your inmate is using funds from their phone account,...

This is a genuinely difficult situation and one that more families face than most people realize. An incarcerated spouse receiving income, whether from a prison work assignment, outside sources, or other means, while the family struggles financially on the outside is a painful and complicated circumstance. The honest answer is that this requires legal guidance rather than inmate experience. Here is what is generally true and what avenues are worth exploring with a qualified attorney. Prison work income Prison wages are extremely low,...

When Western Union asks for an “account number” to send money to an inmate, they are referring to the inmate’s ID number. This number is what directs the funds to the correct trust account within the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Before sending money, you will need to: Set up your own Western Union user account Have the inmate’s full name exactly as it appears in the system Enter the inmate’s ID number as the account number If you do not have the inmate ID number, you can find it...