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

It is completely normal to feel nervous, especially if this is your first experience with the prison system. The good news is that a transfer closer to home, especially on good adjustment, is a positive sign. Everglades CI is not considered one of the more dangerous or chaotic facilities. It houses a mix of inmates, but many are closer to release or have demonstrated better behavior. In those environments, most people are focused on doing their time, staying out of trouble,...

We estimate that it takes 2-3 business days to make it to the jail. Once there, the staff opens and reads each piece of mail and inspects it for contraband. Any delay that occurs at the facility is out of our control. We make no guarantees as to how long it will take as there are thousands of facilities and none of them do things the same way.Please be patient, if the ID number and facility are correct we are 100% reliable.Mail call is Monday - Friday...

Since your husband was just transferred to the Middleton Unit, he is likely still going through intake and processing. That can affect both commissary access and communication during the first couple of weeks. Commissary access: Inmates can usually shop commissary once a week, but they must: Be fully processed into the unit Have money in their trust account At about a week and a half in, he is likely getting close. In many cases, inmates are able to access commissary within the first 1 to...

The path to a judge's secretary runs through the courthouse, not through any direct listing you will find online. Here is how to navigate it. Call the Clerk of the Court in the jurisdiction where your family member was sentenced. When someone answers, explain that you need to contact the judge assigned to a specific case and ask for the judge's name and the courtroom or chambers number. The clerk's office maintains these assignments and can point you in the right...

There is a possibility but the circumstances laid out by the judge will dictate whether it's even possible. If the judge allows for parole, then there is one potential option for early release. There are "good time" credits which exist for all inmates. The caveat is that they have to remain in good standing with the prison staff, with no incidence reports or trips to the SHU for bad behavior. The good time usually represents about 15% off. Finally, if...

Norco is a state prison, part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation system. It is formally known as the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in Norco. It is not a county jail. That means he is now in the state prison system rather than a local county facility. The reason he was able to call you so quickly this time is likely because his information carried over from his previous placement. When inmates transfer within the same system, things like their approved...

Visitation is different in every prison system. Whether it is federal, state or state, they all have a set of rules that have to be followed - where your inmate may have to place you on a list. Some require a form to be filled out and background check performed (Arizona requires you to pay a fee for that check). Others allow you to come straight in with just a government ID. What prison are you thinking about visiting, we...

Whether parole is possible depends entirely on the jurisdiction and the specific language in the sentencing order. In the federal system, there is no parole. Federal inmates serve 85 percent of their sentence with good time credits as the primary mechanism for earlier release. On a 36-month federal sentence, that works out to approximately 30 months served under ideal circumstances. With one year already completed, there would be roughly 18 months remaining under that calculation. In state systems, parole eligibility varies significantly....

A second probation violation, particularly one that has escalated from a misdemeanor to a felony level, puts your fiancé in a genuinely difficult position before the original sentencing judge in Virginia. Here is what typically happens. When someone violates probation, they go back before the judge who originally gave them probation instead of a longer sentence. That judge made a decision to show leniency the first time. A second violation signals to the court that the leniency was not taken seriously,...

The question you are asking is the right one, and the fact that you are asking it out loud suggests you already have a sense of the answer. That clarity deserves to be respected rather than talked around. Incarceration creates a specific kind of dynamic where an inmate's ability to act on their feelings is genuinely limited. They cannot show up, cannot provide, cannot demonstrate love through action in the ways that a relationship outside requires. Some people who love someone...

Yes, you can set it up so that your inmate’s reply comes back to you online, but it is not a traditional “prepay” like paying for their postage. What you are doing is using the InmateAid Response Mail service. Here is how it works: When you send your letter, the return address is set to InmateAid, not your home Your inmate writes back like normal using regular mail The letter is sent to InmateAid’s address InmateAid scans the letter into your account You get notified and can...

The letter order flows through our Admin area to the Processing Department. Letters are processed immediately upon entry unless it is after 6pm on Saturday, then the letters do not go through the process until Monday morning. You may check in your My Account area to see the status of your letter order. We estimate that it takes 2-3 business days to make it to the jail. Once there, the staff opens and reads each piece of mail and inspects it for contraband. Any delay that occurs at...