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
After you have set up an Inmate profile page, go to your My Account area of the site. Go to where your inmate's name is, there is a menu bar with choices of services. Click on "Letters" and scroll to the bottom. If you are going to write a letter, this is where to do it. When you are ready to select some pictures, click "Browse", it will take you to where your pictures are stored on your device (computer...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
InmateAid works in every prison, jail or detention center in the United States. There are varying degrees of how much we can help and which service works best for your situation.
Our mail service makes it into all facilities unless there is a "post card only" restriction. We will have a post card option within a few weeks and at that point we will have 100% coverage.
Magazine subscriptions are allowed in all facilities, paperback books, too.
The telephone service works in almost...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
For a short sentence like 30 days, most facilities still apply good time credit, but the reduction is usually small.
In general:
Many systems require about 85% of the sentence to be served
On a 30 day sentence, that typically means serving around 25 to 26 days
So he might get out 4 to 5 days early, assuming no disciplinary issues
For very short stays, some facilities may not apply credits the same way, but most do give at least a small reduction.
Release time of day:
Inmates are almost...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
The primary way to get a sentence reduction without having to cooperate with the government with substantial assistance in convicting someone else is the Residential Drug Addiction Program (RDAP). If the inmate is eligible, there is a nine month program what once completed will reduce the sentence up to twelve months along with a guarantee of six months of halfway house.
If you have more detailed questions about this, we have people here that have gone through the program and know more about it than anyone...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
In federal cases, especially drug conspiracy charges, there is a strong likelihood of prison time, even for first time offenders. That does not mean the outcome is fixed, but the odds are different than in state court.
Federal cases tend to have high conviction rates, and most are resolved through plea agreements rather than trials. The question is usually not whether there will be consequences, but how severe they will be.
Here are the key factors that will affect your husband’s situation:
Level...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
What you are experiencing is very common in federal cases. The process moves slowly, and a lot of what is happening is not visible from the outside.
What are you “waiting” for?
In federal drug cases, there are several things happening behind the scenes:
Discovery review where both sides go through evidence
Possible plea negotiations between the defense and prosecutors
Pretrial motions that can delay movement in the case
Coordination with co-defendants, which can slow everything down
When there are multiple people charged, the case often moves at the pace...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
His lifestyle is only going to change if he does steps necessary to improve his thought process. There is something that the therapists point to when assisting in rehabilitation: criminal thinking. Does your inmate have the capacity to look at himself and his flawed thinking. The inmate that can come to terms with his mistakes and face "change", will change.
There are also other attitudes that an inmate must address as they go back to be a productive member of society -...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
USP Atlanta is one of the older federal penitentiaries in the Bureau of Prisons system. The facility has been operating for well over a century and the age of the building is something inmates and their families notice. Older infrastructure means the physical environment is less comfortable than newer facilities, and the population density at Atlanta has historically made conditions more difficult than at some other USPs where housing is less crowded.
That said, a few things remain consistent across all...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
We appreciate the kind words. InmateAid was built to help folks like you - let others know about us. Getting the trial transcripts is not that hard to do, but they are going to charge you a fee (per page) to print and mail them to you. You need to find the Clerk of the Court where he was tried and make a formal request. This is something that the lawyers in other cases do all the time for researching...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
A Class 4 yard in the Arizona Department of Corrections system is not maximum security but it is a higher custody level. Arizona classifies inmates on a scale where higher numbers generally indicate more restrictive housing and more significant behavioral or security concerns. A Class 4 yard houses inmates who have either come in with serious offenses, accumulated disciplinary history inside, or both. It is not the highest possible classification but it is well above minimum or medium.
Whether your friend...
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