Ask The Inmate. Real answers from people who've been there.

Yes, and there are several practical steps that can move this forward without your fiance needing to be physically present in court. In most states, an inmate who filed for divorce can continue pursuing that divorce from inside prison. Physical presence at a final divorce hearing is often not required, particularly in uncontested cases with no disputes over children or property. Your fiance's attorney, or a family law attorney if he does not currently have one, can appear on his behalf...

It is not a good idea and in many facilities it will get your letter rejected before it ever reaches your inmate. Perfume and cologne on mail are prohibited at most correctional facilities because scent can be used to mask the smell of drugs or other contraband during mail room inspections. Many facilities post this restriction explicitly in their mail policies, and officers who detect a scented letter will often discard or return it without delivering it. Lipstick impressions on envelopes or...

It happens more often than people expect, and there are a few reasons why someone close to an inmate may not know the full picture of what they were charged with or convicted of. The most common reason is that the inmate chose not to tell you. People facing criminal charges are often embarrassed, protective of their image with family, or simply not ready to have certain conversations. Some charges carry a stigma that makes disclosure feel impossible, particularly offenses involving...

Yes, you will still need to maintain and fund an account with Securus Technologies even if you use a discount phone service. Securus controls the phone system inside the facility, so every call must go through them. The discount service does not replace Securus, it simply reduces the cost by giving your inmate a local number to call instead of a long distance one. Here is how it works: You get a local number through InmateAid You set up that number with Securus as the approved number You...

We estimate that it takes about 3 business days to arrive in the facility mail room. Once there, the staff opens each piece for contraband. Be mindful that each facility has their own set of rules as to how long they have to actually deliver the mail. For instance, the CDCR in California has up to 14 days from receipt. This is a drastic example, but the prison business is not normal and the rules are like a moving target....

Visitation approval timelines vary depending on a few key factors, but six weeks is generally enough time for most applications to be processed under normal circumstances. The fastest approvals tend to be immediate family members with clean records applying to visit at facilities that run routine background checks. Those can come through in as little as one to two weeks. Applications take longer when the visitor is not a relative, since non-family visitors often undergo more detailed background screening. Any criminal history...

If your boyfriend is being moved from Roederer Correctional Complex to a halfway house, it means he is entering the reentry phase of his sentence. Halfway houses, also called reentry centers, are designed to help inmates transition back into society in a structured but less restrictive environment. How they work: Residents can often leave the facility for work, job searches, or approved activities They must follow strict rules, including curfews and check-ins Drug and alcohol testing is routine Staff monitor behavior, employment, and progress Where he might go: Placement is usually based on where...

Once your inmate's letter arrives at InmateAid, it is scanned and posted to your account dashboard the same day it is received. You will get an email notification as soon as it is uploaded so you know it is there waiting for you. The part that takes time is the postal delivery, not the processing on our end. Once the letter leaves the facility it travels through the regular US mail system, which typically takes a few days to a week...

No one outside the facility can access or charge an inmate's trust account directly. The account is controlled entirely by the inmate and managed internally by the facility. No mechanism allows a family member or outside service to draw funds from that account remotely, even with the inmate's permission. If your inmate wants to cover costs from their end, the way that works is through an inmate-to-outside money transfer. Your inmate submits a request to their case manager asking that a...

Robbery sentencing varies widely depending on several factors, and without knowing all of them, it is only possible to give a general range rather than a specific answer. The key factors that determine the seriousness of a robbery sentence include whether a weapon was involved, whether anyone was injured during the incident, the value of what was taken, the defendant's prior criminal history, and whether the case is being prosecuted at the state or federal level. At the lower end, a first-time...

Yes. InmateAid provides all of its standard services for inmates at Lee Adjustment Center in Kentucky. The facility is operated by CoreCivic, formerly known as CCA, and functions within the same framework as other private correctional institutions we work with regularly. Services available for your friend at Lee Adjustment Center include the discount telephone service, which provides a local phone number that significantly reduces the per-minute cost of calls. Money transfers to the inmate's account are also available, along with letter...

To send money and care packages online to an inmate, you'll need to use authorized services that are approved by the correctional facility where your loved one is incarcerated. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do both: 1. Sending Money Online Approved Services for Sending Money: JPay: JPay is a widely used service for sending money to inmates. It partners with many correctional facilities across the U.S. Access Corrections: Access Corrections offers online deposits and also provides a mobile app for convenience. Western Union:...

This is one of the hardest situations a family can face, and the honest answer requires addressing both the legal reality and the human one. On the federal gun charge, being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a mandatory minimum of five years under federal law. Federal inmates serve 85% of their sentence, which on a five-year sentence means a minimum of approximately 51 months before release under normal circumstances. There is no standard early release provision based on...