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

A lot is happening in this situation and breaking it down piece by piece gives the clearest picture of what to expect. DVI Tracy is a reception center, which means your husband is still being processed and classified before getting a permanent housing assignment. The mentions of Folsom or Corcoran are significant because both are high-security Level 4 facilities and that designation reflects the validated gang status and current SHU placement. In California, the term validated means the California Department of Corrections...

Inmates that have money on their inmate trust accounts can purchase stamps and envelopes at the weekly commissary. If they do not have money on their books, the prison will provide indigent inmates with all the materials necessary to send out mail to their loved ones. If your inmate writes to you directly, using your address, the cost of the mailing is a 49 cent stamp. Many of our members use the Inmate Response Mail service through InmateAid. Your inmate would...

This is one of the most frustrating gaps in the Texas system and unfortunately, it is not unusual even when everything has gone right on the inmate's end. The Intermediate Sanction Facility program in Texas is designed to be a shorter intervention for technical parole violations rather than a full return to prison. Fast track designation is supposed to accelerate the process and a 60 to 90 day timeline with program completion, a confirmed release address, and an approved parole plan...

This is a question worth asking and the answer is straightforward. InmateAid accounts are created and managed exclusively by the person on the outside. Inmates have no login access, no visibility into account balances or payment history, and no ability to initiate or authorize any charges. The platform is designed as a tool for family members and friends to send services to their inmate, not a system the inmate interacts with directly. Everything on the InmateAid side, selecting services, uploading photos,...

The higher the number, the higher the security level of the prison. G5 is maximum security. Inmates are designated by the department of corrections after they are sentenced. After an inmate has begun his sentence, there are intervals of behavioral and advancement analysis done. This is used to determine if the inmate is showing signs of accepting incarceration and working on improving themselves. This improvement is rewarded by lowering their security level status and making them eligible for downward transfer,...

Yes, Luzerne County Correctional does have an indigent inmate program. It is not a full commissary allowance, but it covers the basics for inmates who have had a zero balance in their account for three consecutive months. Once that threshold is met, the facility provides some essential personal hygiene items along with postage stamps and writing materials so the inmate can send letters. The three-month zero-balance requirement is the key detail here. An inmate does not automatically qualify just because they...

Placement decisions in Mississippi are controlled by the Department of Corrections, not by the inmate or his family, so there is no guarantee he stays at Rankin or gets moved closer to home. That said, transfers do happen, and there are two ways they occur. The first is an inmate-requested transfer. To be eligible, he generally needs to serve a minimum period without any disciplinary write-ups. Once that threshold is met, he can submit a formal transfer request through his case...