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
No, do not do that, you'll never see it again. Inmates are allowed to wear their wedding band but make a call to the counselor or chaplain and arrange with them to get it to your inmate.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
You may do so with InmateAid. All of the correspondence coming from you through us has the InmateAid return address and not the sender's. If the inmate wants to write you back, they may do so through us as well. We receive and post their letter to your account and notify you via email of it's arrival.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Depending on the classification and security level, most detention facilities have "pods" comprised of two levels of individual two-person cells. The general population area has tables with attached seating, a television and 3-5 telephones. There is a guard station overseeing the entire pod. Inmates are allowed to remain in the main area except for when they conduct count and when it's "lights out" time. The phone is available as long as the general population is open. Inmates will also be...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
You should call the facility and tell the person answering the phone your concern. They are usually very helpful. You can ask for the counselor, the unit secretary, the chaplain or the warden's secretary. One or more of these people will put your mind at ease.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Monday through Friday
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Without knowing all of the facts surrounding his administrative segregation, it could be a few days or a few months
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
As your fiancé gets closer to his release date, the facility will go over a release plan with him. This usually happens through his counselor or case manager before he is discharged.
Transportation after release:
If he does not have someone to pick him up, the state will usually provide basic transportation, which may include:
A bus ticket (often Greyhound or similar)
Transportation to a nearby transit station
This is meant to get him back to his approved residence or home area.
If you want to...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
There are many reasons that inmates are moved. Most of the time it is nothing to be concerned with. There are changes in the inmate population which require movement and aligning certain inmates with the same classification type based upon the criminal history, violence associated with their crime and length of sentence. Many times, the inmate gets their custody level changed for the better - calling "working your way down" as in the type of housing and security.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
What is their name and the state you think they are in, we will try and help locate them?
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Inmates are often able to get cellphones smuggled into prison. This is extremely risky and not worth the penalty that comes with getting caught. This administration has made a cellphone possession in a penal facility a felony and will add more years to an inmate's sentence. In some situations, the facility can classify possession of a cellphone aiding in an escape or continuing a criminal enterprise. The inmate that gets caught will likely get 6 months to a year in...
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