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

Camera footage is potentially significant evidence in this situation, but how it plays out depends on what the tape actually shows and how the case is handled from here. The charge of robbery rather than shoplifting is a serious escalation. Robbery typically requires an element of force or threat, and if the incident involved only an attempted exit with merchandise and no threatening behavior toward store employees, the charge may be overcharged. That is exactly the kind of argument a defense...

The short answer is probably "no". There are certain circumstances and situations where an inmate can receive a reduction in their sentence. However, these are very rare and in most of these cases will require your inmate providing substantial assistance to the government where they would be able to use this information to prosecute and sentence another party. An inmate with a two year sentence should not consider this avenue on a number of fronts. Most inmates service about 85%...

The projected release date is a calculation, not a guarantee. It reflects the expected release date based on the sentence length minus applicable good time credits at a specific point in time. Whether it holds depends on what happens between now and then. The date stays accurate when an inmate maintains a clean disciplinary record, completes any required programming, and has no outstanding legal issues in other jurisdictions. Under those conditions the projected date is reliable and families can plan around...

This is the struggle that every inmate faces every day of incarceration. Inmate's toughest time is the first six months of being locked-up. The adjustment of being told what to do, when to do it and where to be at certain times are not easy to adjust to. One of the main reasons that InmateAid was created it to allow the people on the outside to help their loved ones on the inside. Getting into a suitable routine is the...

In most cases, letters and photos sent through InmateAid arrive at the facility within 2 to 3 business days after they are processed and mailed. That is the delivery time through the postal system. Once the mail reaches the jail or prison, it goes through the facility’s internal mail process. Staff will open, inspect, and read each piece of mail to check for contraband or rule violations before giving it to the inmate. This step can add additional time, and it...

Inmates cannot receive calls. Inmates have to make the outbound call to you. You will have to get involved with the payment part of the call - funding it from the outside which can and does get expensive. The service at Fannin is Securus. Depending on your number, the calls could be as little at 50 cents or as much as $12-14 each. We can give you an exact price for what each call would cost and if our Discount Telephone...

Inmates who are serving less than a year will usually have their application for marriage denied with the presumption being that such a short wait will not harm the prisoner or prospective spouse. Each partner must be legally eligible and mentally competent to marry. Marriages may be blocked for security or disciplinary reasons; solitary confinement can block access to marriage. Most states do not allow marriage for inmates on death row; California is at least one exception to that rule. Some...

Yes, it is possible to get a divorce while incarcerated, but it takes more coordination because you cannot handle things in person like someone on the outside. The process usually starts by filing in the county where your spouse lives. If you and your spouse are on the same page and agree to the divorce terms, called an uncontested divorce, the process is much smoother and can move faster. If there are disagreements about property, custody, or support, it becomes more...

Sending mail through InmateAid to someone at the Laredo Processing Center is simple, and everything is handled for you once you submit your order. When you write a letter and upload photos, you complete the payment on the site and the process starts right away. Your letter is printed out on paper, and any photos you include are printed as well. Everything is then neatly assembled, folded, and placed into a standard envelope. There are no ads or extra inserts, just...

Most inmates do not have access to the Internet or email, they receive letters through the US Mail. Mail call is done Monday through Friday only. Inmates that have money on their inmate trust accounts can purchase stamps and envelopes at the weekly commissary. If they do not have money on their books, the prison will provide indigent inmates with all the materials necessary to send out mail to their loved ones. If your inmate writes to you directly, using your address, the cost of the mailing...

No. A spouse does not have access to another inmate's visitor list or visitation records. That information is considered private to the inmate and the facility, and it is not shared with outside parties, regardless of the relationship. The facility maintains visitation records for security and administrative purposes, but those records are not available to spouses, family members, or anyone else on the outside through a standard request. Even being legally married does not grant access to an inmate's personal records...

The criminal justice system does not make significant allowances for "first time offenders" There is a chart that is set up like a grid where the sentencing guidelines are an actual point system. Points given to the various aspects of the conviction. Once the points are added up, the judge is give a range to determine the sentence.  Another element to sentencing is the Pre-Sentence Report (PSR) that is compiled and written by the Pre-Sentence Investigator (PSI), This report compiles...