The criminal justice system has its own language and navigating it without a guide is disorienting for families encountering it for the first time. This section covers the terminology that appears in court documents, facility communications, and case records, from the difference between jail and prison to what terms like disposition, detainer, adjudication, and supervised release actually mean in plain language. It also covers general questions about how prisons and jails operate, what a typical day looks like inside, how different security levels function, and what the practical differences are between federal, state, county, and private facilities. The answers here are written for people who have no prior experience with the system and need clear accurate explanations without legal jargon. If you encountered a term you did not understand this is the right place to start. See also our sections on Law Questions and Legal Terms, and Sentencing Questions.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Once an inmate is settled into their routine, the time goes by pretty quickly, all things considered. But, if you are close with your family, you will witness the time dragging on for them as there are greater hardships on your loved ones on the outside. The loss of income that is caused by the incarceration creates huge issues for the family trying to pay bills. That is tough on an inmate mentally carrying that baggage knowing what they did...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
The phone service at the California State Prison - Sacramento is GlobalTel (GTL). Unless there is a disciplinary hold on your inmate, he should be able to make all the calls he wants provided he has funds on his books or in an Advanced Pay account. If you are long distance to Sacramento, the InmateAid Discount Phone Service is something you should look into. We can save about $4.50 per call instate and more if your are out of state....
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
Start with VINELink.com, a free national victim and family notification service that provides real-time inmate location and custody status across most county and state systems. If the county denies having them but an inmate number exists online, VINELink can help confirm where they are held.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Reading is the great escape. Concentrating on things you can control, not worry about things you can't - it is where the focus must lie. Inmates need to get into a routine which will make their time go by smoothly. They need to make a goal list of things to accomplish with all of this time on their hands, to not just waste it playing cards and bullshitting. If they are inclined, anyone can come out better than when they...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
If your inmate is in set up in the TruLinks system, their PIN will transfer from facility to facility. Inmate transfers are not publicly posted or acknowledged for security reasons. Once he has reached his new designation, there will be a posting of this new locale on their website. If they land in county for a night or so, the calling from there can only be done "collect".
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Maximum security is the grade of high security level used by prison systems in various states and counties.
In a maximum security prison or area, all prisoners have individual cells with sliding doors controlled from a secure remote control station. Often prisoners are confined in their cells 23 hours per day, but in some institutions, prisoners are allowed out of their cells for part of the day (recreation, education or medical). General population areas are limited with timed movements and escorts. Maximum...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
Inmates do not have Internet access, the inmate profile pages are created by the members of this site.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Susquehanna County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania has a capacity of approximately 100 inmate beds. It is a smaller county facility by most standards, which reflects the rural and relatively low-population nature of Susquehanna County itself.
The geographic breakdown of where inmates come from within the county or the surrounding areas is not publicly posted. County correctional facilities typically house a mix of people from the immediate county who are awaiting trial, serving short sentences on misdemeanor convictions, or being held on...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
Inmates definitely suffer from anxiety. Depression and hopelessness are other emotional stresses they experience. The reason is the boredom and lack of activities cause those that stress about things out of their control becomes accelerated during incarceration. We offer a lot of reading material options for this very reason. Magazine subscriptions provide several valuable attributes outside of the reading material. There is a level of anticipation knowing they are always going to have something to look forward to at mail call....
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
If it is not posted online, you will have to call the facility and speak to the unit secretary or your inmate's counselor to get that information. Of course, your inmate knows their out-date, too.
