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

Once someone has been sentenced, they generally do not go back to court to find out when they will be released. The release date is calculated from the sentence itself, minus applicable good time credits, and is determined administratively by the facility, not by a future court appearance. Court appearances after sentencing are reserved for specific legal proceedings such as appeals, resentencing hearings, probation or parole violation hearings, or new charges. Routine release processing happens entirely within the correctional system without...

Same day delivery is not possible for inmate mail under any circumstances, and understanding the process helps set realistic expectations. When you send photos through InmateAid, the order gets processed and mailed out the same day if placed before 5pm Eastern time. From there it enters the US Postal Service and travels to the facility like any other piece of mail. That transit alone takes a few days depending on distance. Once the envelope arrives at the facility it does not go...

Yes, and there is legal precedent for inmates winning significant awards in exactly this kind of situation. The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, and courts have consistently held that prison officials have a legal duty to protect inmates from known dangers. When staff are made aware of a threat or an actual attack and deliberately do nothing, that indifference can rise to the level of a constitutional violation. Cases where guards have been proven to act...

Almost certainly neither quickly nor easily. When a judge issues a failure to appear warrant, it is because the person has already demonstrated they would not show up when required. That history makes the judge very unlikely to offer bail again or release someone on their own recognizance, because the entire purpose of bail is to secure future appearances, and that trust has already been broken. In most failure-to-appear situations, the judge remands the person to custody without bail. That means...

Yes, and the channels through which information reaches someone inside are more numerous than most people on the outside realize. Inmates receive letters, emails, and phone calls from multiple people. Anyone on the outside who knows both of you and has access to him through any of those channels can pass along information, true or embellished, without you ever knowing it happened. People who want to cause problems in a relationship have a direct line in through the same communication systems...

The counselor is your best point of contact at the facility, and calling and asking to speak with them directly is the right first step. That said, there is no guarantee that anything you share with facility staff stays completely confidential from your fiancé. Correctional facilities are not bound by the same confidentiality standards as therapists or attorneys. Staff communicate with each other about inmates and the people connected to them, and depending on what you share and how it gets...

The honest answer is maybe, and that maybe depends entirely on whoever is screening mail the day it arrives. Mailroom staff apply a subjective standard when evaluating incoming photos. There is no universal rule that precisely defines where suggestive ends and prohibited begins, which means the same photo can sail through at one facility or on one day and get confiscated at another. A sideways silhouette showing only your backside with nothing explicitly exposed sits in that gray zone, and gray...

Your inmate will not know automatically. The phone account is set up on your end, and getting the new number to them requires a direct communication since you have not been in contact since the transfer. The most practical solution is a letter, and InmateAid makes that easy. Email aid@inmateaid.com and ask for a notification coupon code. InmateAid provides these at no charge specifically for situations like this, where you need to get a new phone number to your inmate quickly...