Incarceration affects every member of a family not just the person behind bars. Children, spouses, parents, and siblings all navigate their own version of the experience often without support or guidance. This section covers the full range of challenges families face including maintaining relationships through letters and calls, explaining incarceration to children, managing finances on a reduced income, navigating the visitation process, supporting a loved one through the emotional difficulty of incarceration, and preparing for reentry together. The questions answered here come from real families in real situations, parents who have not heard from their son in weeks, spouses managing alone, children trying to understand where their parent went. InmateAid was built by someone who experienced both sides of this equation and the guidance here reflects that understanding. Families are not bystanders in this process. They are essential to their loved one's success both inside and after release. See also our sections on Visitation, Relationship Issues, and Send Inmate Mail.
Related InmateAid Services
Subject: Family services
Yes, and there are several practical steps that can move this forward without your fiance needing to be physically present in court.
In most states, an inmate who filed for divorce can continue pursuing that divorce from inside prison. Physical presence at a final divorce hearing is often not required, particularly in uncontested cases with no disputes over children or property. Your fiance's attorney, or a family law attorney if he does not currently have one, can appear on his behalf...
Read moreSubject: Family services
It depends solely on the institution rules. Federal prison you definitely can, the various state institutions are not consistent in their rules. We would advise getting in touch with the chaplain
Subject: Family services
We would need to know the state he is in and whether the charge was state or federal. Let us know and we'll help you.
Subject: Family services
The timing can vary by facility, but most inmates are able to start communicating with family within the first 1 to 2 weeks after arrival.
Here is what usually happens:
Phone calls:
The inmate must set up an approved contact list
This list has to be reviewed and approved by staff
Immediate family members are often approved faster
Once approved and funded, calls can begin
Letters:
Inmates can usually send mail as soon as they have:
Access to writing materials
Stamps from commissary
This often happens fairly quickly, sometimes within the first few days
Possible...
Read moreSubject: Family services
At most correctional facilities including Trumbull Correctional Institution in Ohio, photos taken during visitation are purchased by the inmate through commissary rather than paid for directly by the visitor at the time of the visit.
The typical process works like this: the inmate purchases a photo voucher or receipt through commissary in advance, presents it to the photographer during the visit, and the finished photo is processed and delivered to the inmate afterward. Visitors generally do not handle the payment themselves.
The...
Read moreSubject: Family services
Las formas de comunicarse con un detenido son limitadas, pero sí existen opciones claras.
1. Cartas:
Puedes enviarle cartas, fotos o material aprobado. Es una de las formas más comunes y seguras de mantener contacto. Servicios como InmateAid permiten escribir en línea y enviar la carta por correo.
2. Llamadas telefónicas:
El detenido es quien debe iniciar la llamada. Tú no puedes llamarlo directamente a la cárcel. Para reducir costos, puedes usar un número local (como los que ofrece InmateAid), lo que hace que...
Read moreSubject: Family services
What you are describing is one of the most difficult situations a family can face and your concern for your son is completely justified. Twelve months in segregation, even voluntary segregation taken for survival reasons, causes real and measurable psychological harm. The symptoms you are describing including staring for hours, inability to concentrate, and difficulty with basic tasks like writing are well documented effects of prolonged isolation.
The difficult reality of voluntary segregation
Your son chose to enter protective custody segregation because...
Read moreSubject: Family services
FDC Miami is a Federal Detention Center, not a traditional long-term prison. It is a high-rise facility located in downtown Miami and primarily houses pretrial detainees, inmates going through court proceedings, and some short-term federal inmates. While security is tight, it is not classified the same way as a standard maximum security penitentiary.
For email, the federal system uses TRULINCS, which is accessed through CorrLinks.
If your brother says he sent emails but you have not received them, here are the most common reasons:
You have not...
Read moreSubject: Family services
Yes, in many cases inmates at a transition center can send money home before release, but it is not automatic and must be approved by the facility.
Your fiancé will need to speak with his counselor or unit team manager and request the proper form to transfer funds from his inmate trust account. These requests are reviewed, and approval can depend on factors like his status, the amount requested, and the facility’s specific policies.
Most systems allow inmates to send out money...
Read moreSubject: Family services
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...
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