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

Conjugal visits are not permitted at Louisiana State Penitentiary. Officials at the Louisiana State Penitentiary have never supported conjugal visits.  Currently, only a handful of states permit conjugal visits for inmates, including California, New York, Washington, New Mexico, and Connecticut. Louisiana is not among them and has not been for many years. By 2015, almost all states had eliminated conjugal visit programs in favor of other approaches. The trend nationally has been away from conjugal visits rather than toward them, and Louisiana...

In most cases yes, but confirming directly with the facility before your first weekend is essential. Methadone is a prescribed medication for opioid use disorder and is protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Facilities are generally required to accommodate medically necessary medications, including methadone maintenance treatment, for inmates serving time. Abrupt discontinuation of methadone can cause serious withdrawal symptoms, which creates both a health risk and a legal liability for the facility if they refuse to accommodate it. That said, the...

The fact that your boyfriend is already in a work release program and will be keeping his job after release puts him in a significantly better position than most people coming out after five years. That employment continuity is the single most stabilizing factor in successful reentry and everything else builds from there. Here is a breakdown of resources worth pursuing before and after release. Federal Second Chance Act programs. The Second Chance Act funds reentry programs across the country including housing...

Once parole is granted, the release date is typically set at the time of the board's decision and is not usually far off. In most cases inmates are released within a few weeks to a couple of months of the parole grant date, depending on what administrative steps need to be completed before they can walk out. Those steps include finalizing the release plan, confirming the approved address where the inmate will be living, completing any required paperwork with the supervising...

It depends on a number of factors - What facility is your inmate in? Is it a county, state or federal facility? Where are you (your area code and NXX numbers, which are the second set of three numbers)? Once we area able match the rate center of the prison to your phone number we can determine locality. Local calls are almost always less than long distance except in some states where Securus has the contract; and they are making...

Visiting someone in a Residential Substance Abuse Treatment program while you are on probation is more complicated than a standard prison visit, and approval is unlikely without specific circumstances working in your favor. RSAT facilities have their own visitation rules that are often stricter than general population prisons because the program environment is structured around recovery and rehabilitation. Visitors who may introduce negative influences or who have their own active criminal justice supervision are viewed with additional scrutiny by program staff. Being...

At Kirkland Correctional Institution, inmates are allowed to use commissary, as long as they have funds and are not under disciplinary restrictions. Commissary access: Inmates can buy snacks, hygiene items, and basic supplies Access may be limited temporarily if they are in segregation or have disciplinary issues About meals and shaving concerns: Facilities are required to provide meals that meet minimum nutritional standards. While portions may feel small, they are designed to meet daily requirements. Inmates are not supposed to be denied meals as punishment for things like shaving. However: There are...

There is no universal answer, but understanding what the board looks at helps explain why some people make parole the first time and others do not. The nature of the offense matters significantly. Violent offenses, sex offenses, and crimes involving weapons or serious harm to victims face more scrutiny at a parole hearing than non-violent or property offenses. The board is evaluating risk, and the underlying crime is the starting point for that assessment. Institutional behavior is equally important. An inmate who...

Before an inmate is released, the facility runs a check through the National Crime Information Center, commonly known as NCIC. This is a federal database maintained by the FBI that contains records of outstanding warrants, detainers, protection orders, and other law enforcement flags from jurisdictions across the entire country. If the NCIC check comes back clean, meaning no outstanding warrants, holds, or detainers from any jurisdiction, the release proceeds as scheduled. If something comes back on the check, the inmate is...

It happens, but it is not common and the circumstances that make it possible are more limited than the question might suggest. Visitation rooms are supervised environments. Officers are present, movement is restricted, and interactions between visitors who do not know each other are typically brief and incidental. The opportunity for meaningful connection between strangers in that setting is genuinely limited compared to what gets imagined from the outside. That said, visitation waiting areas can be a different story. Families who visit...

Waiting for parole board results is one of the most nerve-wracking experiences in the incarceration process, and the Arkansas system does not make it any easier with fast updates. The Arkansas Department of Corrections inmate search at adc.arkansas.gov is the right place to check, but database updates after a parole board hearing can take several days to a week or more before any change in status appears. If the page looks the same as it did before the hearing, it most...

At places like Madison Work Center, there is no single “right” amount to send. What inmates spend varies a lot based on habits, appetite, and what they are used to having. Here is a realistic breakdown: Basic needs (covered by the facility): Toiletries like soap and toothpaste (basic versions) Meals (standard portions) Clothing and essentials Commissary extras: This is where your money goes: Better hygiene items (name-brand, more comfortable) Snacks and drinks Writing supplies Occasional clothing or shoes Typical spending ranges: $50–$100/month: basic comfort, careful spending $100–$200/month: more snacks and better products $200–$300+/month: frequent snacks, extras, and convenience items So...