Just thought of a question?

Have a question?

Ask The Inmate

Ask a former inmate questions at no charge. The inmate answering has spent considerable time in the federal prison system, state and county jails, and in a prison that was run by the private prison entity CCA.

Ask your question or browse previous questions in response to comments or further questions of members of the InmateAid community.

Subject: Visitation

Traveling from England to visit someone at Auburn Correctional Facility is a significant commitment, and getting the details sorted before you board a plane is essential. Do not show up without confirming everything in advance. Do not wait until arrival to apply. New York State requires visitors to be pre-approved before any visit can take place. You cannot fill out an application on arrival and expect to visit the same day. The approval process involves a background check and

Read more
Subject: Inmate phone calls

Letter delivery time: When you send a letter through InmateAid, it is typically printed and mailed quickly. Most letters arrive at the facility within 1 to 3 business days. After that, the timeline depends on the facility: Mail is opened and inspected for contraband It is then delivered at mail call This can add a few extra days depending on staff workload and procedures So overall, most inmates receive letters within a few days to about a week. Phone

Read more
Subject: Parole & probation

When an inmate is paroled to a district, they are released under the supervision of that district's parole office rather than a specific address. District 1 in Nebraska covers the Lincoln area, and the relevant parole offices are listed below. Your family member will be reporting to one of these offices as a condition of their parole. Contacting the appropriate office can help you confirm their reporting location and get information about how to reach them during the supervision

Read more
Subject: Inmate phone calls

Having a family member held by ICE is a stressful and often confusing situation, especially when you are not sure how basic things like phone calls work. Here is what you need to know. ICE detention facilities, including contract facilities like South Louisiana Correctional Center, use the same type of contracted phone systems found in most jails and prisons. Your brother can make outgoing calls, but he cannot receive incoming ones. All calls originate from his end. To

Read more
Subject: Education & vocational training

Vocational programs including welding certifications are available at certain facilities, though not universally. Whether your family member can access one depends on the specific prison, the custody level, and what programs are currently offered and funded there. Federal facilities generally have more robust vocational programming than state or county facilities. The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates vocational training programs at many institutions that lead to certifiable trade skills, and welding is among the trades offered at some locations. State

Read more
Subject: Prison food

Absolutely. Inmates are fed three meals per day albeit not always the "tastiest". These meals are engineered by a nutritionist that are guided by a minimum standard set for nutritional value and calories.

Read more
Subject: Send inmate mail

Some facilities have changed their mail policies to accept postcards only, eliminating standard letters entirely. Hillsborough County Jail in Tampa is one facility that has made this switch. The reason is typically security related. Postcards are easier and faster to inspect for contraband than sealed envelopes, and facilities looking to streamline mail room operations have increasingly moved in this direction. If letters you sent are not reaching your inmate, a policy change at the facility is one of the

Read more
Subject: Law questions - legal terms

Stop cooperating immediately and hire an attorney. That is the short answer, and it applies regardless of how far cooperation has already gone. Here is why this matters. The offer being described, release on recognizance, delayed sentencing, reduced charges, and a substantial sentence reduction, is significant. That is exactly the kind of offer that needs a defense attorney reviewing every word before your family member says or signs anything else. Prosecutors make these offers because the cooperation has value

Read more
Subject: Send inmate mail

Every word. Mail is one of the most anticipated parts of an inmate's day, and a letter from someone on the outside gets read carefully and often more than once. Boredom and isolation are two of the hardest parts of incarceration. A letter breaks through both. It is a tangible connection to the world outside, and most inmates will tell you that receiving mail is one of the few things that genuinely lifts the day. Do not worry about

Read more
Subject: Inmate phone calls

Not every facility can be serviced with a local discount phone line. Coverage depends on the phone carrier contracted to that specific jail or prison, and in some cases a local number simply cannot be obtained for that area. When InmateAid is unable to procure a local line for a facility after a customer has placed an order, we issue a full refund. You will not be charged for a service we cannot deliver. If you are setting

Read more
Search Arrest Records