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
Inmates do NOT have Internet access. However there are some services available for inmates to send their Facebook updates via postal mail to the person/company receiving their requests (and charging for their services) - they will update the pages for the inmate.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Yes, even inmates that are in the SHU, solitary confinement or maximum security get at least one hour three days a week. But most inmates are given much more time outdoors. In a general setting there are recreation activities that are all outside. There is a walking track, usually a baseball field, basketball court, handball courts and more. The inmates that get restricted hours are ones that have broken the rules of the prison and are getting extra punishment on...
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Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) is a company that owns and manages private prisons and detention centers and operates others on a concession basis.
CCA is the largest private corrections company in the United States. It manages more than 65 correctional and detention facilities with a capacity of more than 90,000 beds in 19 states. The company’s revenue in 2015 exceeded more than $2 billion.
Controversies related to the company include: treatment of inmates and disclosure of oversight, lobbying efforts to conceal...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
The list of approved items is not currently available to through their website. We would suggest calling the facility and asking to speak with a counselor or case manager what the exact list is: (505) 873-2761
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Former inmates who have served real time in federal prison, county jails and privately contracted state facilities
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Inmates do not have access to a computer that is connected to the Internet
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
Yes, inmates in the Special Housing Unit can make phone calls, but access is severely limited compared to the general population. The standard across most federal and state facilities is one 15-minute call per week. That is it. One window, 15 minutes, and if the call does not connect or gets cut short, that opportunity is gone until the following week.
This applies broadly across the federal system and most state prison systems, though the specific rules can vary from one...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
This is not unusual. You are questioning yourself but if what you say is true, there is no excuse for him not writing you. The SHU is mostly 24 hour/day lockdown, PLUS the SHU inmates get writing material AND stamps if they ask. You are going to have a rocky nine year stretch with this emotional toil of second-guessing. You have some tough decisions ahead. Whatever you do, make sure you think it through and don't do anything in anger....
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
You will have to decide that for yourself. The incarceration process goes through many phases. First there is the arrest, the offender is taken into custody and booked in the nearest county jail. The charges are documented and the offender is given a bed whether it is in a cell or a dormitory style setting with rows of bunk beds. The next step is the arraignment where bail is set by a magistrate. If the offender makes bail, then their...
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The cost to incarcerate an inmate is an amount that is never covered by an inmate's housing charge. Most institutions are not charging inmates but the ones that do collect very small amounts compared to the actual cost the confine a prisoner. Your example is just silly, and if the inmate has money on their books, EVERY institution will take an agreed percentage specifically for restitution. Policies for charging inmates are popular with taxpayers, but collection is dubious as the...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
Yes. While Colwell Detention Center operates as a standard detention facility, there is a portion of the PDC that functions as a boot camp program.
Boot camp programs inside correctional facilities, sometimes called shock incarceration, are structured around military style discipline, physical training, and intensive programming. They are designed to be demanding by intent. The idea is that a shorter but highly structured and physically rigorous experience produces better outcomes than a longer traditional sentence, particularly for younger or first time...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
No, normally there are no public juvenile incarceration records available. If a member of the site has created an InmateAid Inmate profile for a juvenile for their own benefit to utilize our service, and made it public, it is possible to review the information.
Subject: General prison questions-terminology
The fire conservation camp inmates are lower security rated inmates that are given the privilege of working outside the walls of a standard prison. Their custody level is "minimum" which means there are no fences and very liberal incarceration methods. But, they are still inmates of the State and must not violate the trust that this custody level affords them. They have commissary to buy the essentials and extras that are on the list of available items. They may call...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
The simplest approach is to call the facility directly. Call the main number, which you can find through InmateAid's facility directory or the state department of corrections website, and ask the operator or whoever answers to connect you with the case manager or counselor assigned to your family member's housing unit.
Have your family member's full legal name and inmate ID number ready when you call. Most facilities assign case managers by housing unit rather than by individual inmate, so the...
Read moreSubject: General prison questions-terminology
This depends on where you are doing your time. You might wear what looks like surgical scrubs in various colors, navy blue, green, white, tan or gray with the name of the jail stenciled on the back. You might wear an orange jump suit. Some county jails still have inmates wearing stripes (Maricopa County has them in horizontal stripes with pink underwear). In federal, you wear light colored khakis or olive green uniforms which define the level of custody you...
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