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
You cannot send books from your own address. The facilities will only accept books and magazines "from the publisher". You can go to Amazon and order the books but make sure that the shipping address is that of the inmate's facility and include their inmate ID number.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
The information pertaining to the inmates is "self-generated"meaning that the member/user that sets up the profile fills out the fields of information. Unless we are asked, we do not monitor, verify or update the information.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Depending on the facility, your inmate is probably waiting A & O, (Admissions and Orientation). Once they have gone through the lectures from all of the department heads, the inmate is ready for designation and privileges. Most A & Os happen on Wednesday but every place is different. It is at A & O that they gain the information for phone calls and visitation.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Unfortunately the entire prison economy is centered on a big money grab. Everyone is fighting for their piece of the pie. Our service will make the global tel phone calls less than $1.85 each call but that costs money, too. Let us know if anything changes where we might be able to help save money.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
You will have to contact them either by visitation or through the mail. We would be happy to let you use our letter service, simply write an email request to: Aid@InmateAid.com and tell us you need a coupon to notify your inmate of the new telephone number to call you on.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
The personal inmate pages are created and maintained by the member/users of the site. We do not monitor or verify this self-generated content. If you want to use the service on the website, you will need to set up a profile.
If you need help, please send us the inmate's name,inmate ID, state and facility name and we will set it up for you.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
To communicate with your inmate, you can write letters or
send photos - you will have to go to your My Account area and click on the "Inmate Pages" and then click "Letters". You will be able to communicate
to them through there. InmateAid syncs up the information on the inmate's page
and the prison page that you selected as where they are incarcerated.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
In most facilities, there is no strict limit on how many books you can send, but there are a few important rules to follow.
Sending multiple books:
A 5 book series plus a dictionary is usually fine
Some facilities may limit how many items an inmate can possess at one time, not how many you can send
If they exceed that limit, the inmate may have to store, donate, or send items home
Where the books come from matters:
Books must be sent directly from Amazon or another...
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We are here to answer ANY question on your mind. Please ask as many questions as you have and as often as they come to mind.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
County jails provide the essentials like 3 meals per day, soap, toothpaste and a tooth brush. There is the commissary which is a store inside the jail. You can add money to their inmate trust account that would allow them to shop for some "extras" to make their time a little easier; $50 per week would set them up nicely. Any more is a luxury. Do what you can afford. Calling cards are not available everywhere but where they are,...
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