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

Login to your InmateAid account and navigate to the inmate profile to update the facility address. If you have trouble locating the new address, the InmateAid support team can assist. Update the address before sending any new letters to ensure delivery to the correct facility. If you run into any difficulty updating the address in your account or locating the correct new facility information, InmateAid customer support is available to help. The team can look up the inmate in the system...

There is no single answer to this because sentencing on fraud and theft charges depends on a combination of factors that vary significantly from case to case and state to state. What we can do is walk through what typically drives the outcome. The number of counts matters enormously. Three counts each of identity theft, credit card fraud, theft by deception, and theft by taking means twelve separate charges. Each count carries its own potential sentence and a judge has the...

Inmates being held on a bond too high for them to pay and get released are not afforded a reduction based upon time served. There is a reason the judge set the bond at a high level where they thought it would keep the public safe. Bond reduction comes in the form of a "motion to reduce the bond" with some reasonable basis for the judge to consider. If the information is compelling enough, they might reduce it, but in...

No. There is no law signed in Arizona that reduces the sentence threshold from 85 percent to 65 percent. This is a prison rumor and versions of it circulate through correctional facilities across the country on a regular basis. The details change depending on the state and the facility but the pattern is consistent. Someone hears something, it gets passed along, the details shift with each retelling, and within weeks, it sounds like fact to people who have no way...

Signing for your time does not mean the number is locked in forever. There are legitimate paths to reduction even after a plea has been entered and a sentence imposed, though the options vary depending on whether your loved one is in the federal or state system. In the federal system, the most accessible program is RDAP, the Residential Drug Abuse Program. If an inmate has a documented history of substance abuse and qualifies for the program, successful completion can take...

This is a common and frustrating experience that has several straightforward explanations worth working through before assuming something is wrong. The most frequent reason a search comes up empty despite knowing someone is incarcerated is a timing issue. When an inmate is newly arrived at a facility their information has not yet been entered or updated in the public facing database. Depending on the system and how current the database is, there can be a lag of several days to a...

Yes, inmates are legally entitled to three meals a day and every facility operating within the law is required to provide them. That is the standard across federal prisons, state facilities, and county jails. It is not a privilege, it is a constitutional baseline rooted in the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. What those three meals actually look like is a different conversation entirely. Prison food is functional, not enjoyable. Meals are designed to meet minimum caloric and nutritional...

There is a resident or visiting chaplain at every detention facility. You may call the main number and request to speak to the chaplain. They are usually very good at giving time to concerned family and friends. Normal visitation will usually cover a pastor's visit. The only time it is considered a "special visit" is if there was some sort of family emergency and the pastor would need to deliver news to the inmate in person. That may be arranged...