The prisons operate without having to answer to anyone on the outside. When an inmate gets put in the hole for fighting, they are at the mercy of the DHO, the Disciplinary Hearing Officer. It is that person who acts as judge, jury and sentence renderer. Your inmate will make their testimony to the DHO and they will make their binding decision. Your inmate will have to tell you what happened.

There is something called "mandatory minimum", we have not heard of a mandatory maximum. Offenders convicted under 924 (c) received an average sentence of 151 months which is about 12 years, however depending on the details of the crime and/or pertinent facts like an injury to a victim or heavy property loss. First time usually has very little to do with the sentencing as this crime is a very serious one.

He's going to have to do 85% of the five years

There is a program that has been in effect for 30 years called RDAP. Not all drug offenders are eligible, but those that are will get 12 months off their sentence and at least 6 months of halfway house. Those that are eligible need to have their position set before they go in during the Pre-Sentence Investigation. There are a few ex-cons that run websites that charge $5,000 - $10,000 for information on how to set yourself up before going in.

You can contact the inmate via mail only, immediately. Once they get settled, they can set up their call list. This might take a 1-2 day or maybe a week to get accomplished. They cannot receive calls, only make outbound calls. And they can also set up their visiting list. 

Normally, these items must be purchased through the commissary.

He will probably have to sit there for a week or so until a magistrate judge sees him. The judge will want to know why he's violating a court order. If the judge believes his answer, he will probably be released shortly. If your boyfriend is defiant and unrepentant, he could sit there for months... for contempt of court. The judge must protect the rights of the person that your boyfriend is bothering. There is no actual sentence time. Just as long

Absolutely, 100% as long as you have the correct facility name and the inmate's ID number

You must call the facility and start with the unit team secretary. If that goes nowhere, ask for the counselor or the case manager. They will definitely help you get peace of mind.

Yes, it is absolutely considered an escape. And as you could imagine, is going to create a tremendous hardship on them when they are captured.