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
If your inmate writes to you directly, using
your address, the cost of the mailing is a 49 cent stamp. Many of our members
use the Inmate Response Mail service through InmateAid. Your inmate would write
you back to the return address on the letters which are to the InmateAid
corporate offices in Florida. We receive the letters on your behalf, scan them
into your My Account section and notify you by email that they are waiting for
your review. There is a charge of $1.49...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
Most immigrants are being held in Immigration Detention Facilities that we have denoted in our directory with (ICE) in the name.
The U.S. government is using detention with increasing frequency
as a means of dealing with undocumented or otherwise removable immigrants after
their arrest. When a friend or loved one has been placed in detention, it can
be difficult to try to discover information on the person’s whereabouts.Immigration detention is not too different than jail or prison. Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) either operates the...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
Yes, you can usually get married while he is incarcerated, and you can also visit him without being married. These are two separate issues, and neither one automatically requires the other.
Marriage while incarcerated:
Most facilities, including places like CNMCF, do allow inmates to get married, but there is a process. You will need approval from the facility, and both of you must meet legal requirements to marry. This usually involves:
Submitting a marriage request through the chaplain or administration
Providing identification and required...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
There is no notification system where someone tells the inmate a letter was sent online. From their side, it looks just like regular mail.
When you send a letter through InmateAid, it is printed out and mailed through the U.S. Postal Service. Once it arrives at the jail, staff will open and inspect it, and then it is delivered during normal mail call.
Your inmate will not know it was sent online unless you mention it in the letter. To them, it...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
When an inmate is transferred without notice, it can feel like they disappeared, but there are a few common reasons and ways to track them down.
Based on what you described, a transfer by air is often a sign that the inmate may be in federal custody or being moved under the U.S. Marshals Service. State inmates are usually transported by ground unless it is a long distance transfer, but flights are much more common with federal movement.
Here are the most...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
You can use the website without entering an inmate ID number. That being said, the real problem happens when trying to send things to them into a prison or jail. They typically require the ID number on any correspondence, therefore we recommend including it. If you cannot find it, you can ask us to help or simply call the facility and ask them - they will give it to you with no problem.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Yes, any time spent in custody is counted as a day incarcerated.
You can turn yourself in, get fingerprinted and post bond and leave in two hours and that will count as a one day credit for time served.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
If your husband was transferred from another federal facility, his inmate trust account balance will follow him. The Bureau of Prisons keeps that account centralized, so the money moves with him automatically. He should have access to those funds once he is processed into FDC Miami, though it can take a few days during intake for everything to show up and become available.
If he was coming from a county jail or a state facility, it is different. Those systems do...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
Two or more penal sentences that are served simultaneously: the total
sentence period equals the duration of the longest sentence. Sentences that may all be served at the same time, with the longest period controlling, are concurrent sentences. Judges may sentence concurrently out of compassion, plea bargaining, or the fact that the several crimes are interrelated. When the sentences run one after the other, they are consecutive sentences.
In contrast, consecutive sentences run one after another: the total sentence period is...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
When someone gets time for a parole violation, where they serve that time depends on how the court and the parole authority structured the sentence.
In most cases, a parole violation means the person is being returned to custody to serve time tied to the original sentence. That usually places them in state prison, not county jail, because they are still under the jurisdiction of the original case.
The 160 days your husband received is the sanction for the violation. Whether he...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
There is a nurse's station inside the prison that is visited 3-4 times a week by a local physician. Your inmate will get a complete physical when entering the facility and any medical attention that is required or medicine that they will need going forward gets handled there. Inmates that feel sick may request a doctor's visit, this is referred to as a "sick call". When the doctor arrives, the inmate will be called to the appointment, diagnosed and treated...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
This is a tough situation, and it happens more often than people think. When an inmate feels targeted by certain staff, it can be frustrating because the system tends to favor the officer’s report over the inmate’s version of events.
The first and most important step is to continue using the grievance process. It may feel like it is not working, but building a consistent paper trail matters. Dates, times, names, and details should be documented as clearly as possible. Multiple...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
A defendant will be designated to a facility based on a point system and their designation score. The higher the point score, the more restrictive the facility, although Public Safety Factors can (and in almost all instances do) override the designation score. Inmates former criminal history weighs heavily on where they are designated. Obviously this is a major increase in points for those who have significant criminal history. They look at the Judgment and Commitment Order for this score. If...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
In most prisons, including facilities like Shutter Creek in Oregon, inmates do not have direct access to the internet. They cannot legally browse websites, use social media, or post ads online the way people on the outside can.
If you are seeing something posted online that appears to be from him, there are a few possible explanations.
The most common is that someone on the outside is posting on his behalf. Friends or family sometimes manage social media accounts, post ads, or...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
Most inmates do not have access to the Internet or email,
they receive letters through the US Mail. Mail call is done Monday through
Friday only. Inmates that have money on their inmate trust accounts can
purchase stamps and envelopes at the weekly commissary. If they do not have
money on their books, the prison will provide indigent inmates with all the
materials necessary to send out mail to their loved ones.
If your inmate writes to you directly, using your address, the cost of the
mailing...
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