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

To visit your brother at Cheshire County Jail, you usually need to be approved on his visitation list first. What you should do right now: Call the facility directly and ask about their visitation approval process In most cases, you will need to complete a visitor application The jail will run your information through a background check (NCIC) before approving you Important things to know: Approval is not always immediate. It can take a few days If you have a felony record, approval may be denied or require special permission Some facilities allow walk-in...

The facility notifies the inmate when a visitation application is approved, not the visitor. That means your family member will know you have been approved before you do, and it is their responsibility to pass that information along to you. If you have not heard anything after submitting an application, there are two ways to find out your status. The fastest is to ask your family member directly during a call or through a letter. They can check with their housing...

Once an inmate is removed from a drug program due to a disciplinary issue, getting back into the same program is generally not an option. The program is designed around accountability and personal responsibility, and being removed for misconduct disqualifies most participants from re-enrollment. That opportunity is gone. However, that does not mean all programming options are closed. MTC in Baltimore, as a privately operated facility, typically offers its own set of programs and classes that are separate from what was...

In most cases, prisons do not automatically take money from what you send, but there are a few situations where deductions can happen. 1. Restitution or fines: If your inmate has court-ordered restitution or fees: A portion of deposits may be taken In federal cases, this is often around 25% of incoming funds State systems vary, but similar deductions can apply 2. Jail or facility fees: Some county jails charge: A daily housing fee Medical or booking fees These can be deducted from the inmate’s account over time 3. Other deductions: Medical or dental visits Disciplinary fines...

Being transferred to a higher security facility for disciplinary reasons does not automatically add time to a sentence. The length of the sentence itself is set by the court and can only be changed by the court. A facility transfer, even one resulting from misconduct, does not extend the original sentence on its own. What can change is the amount of time actually served within that sentence. Here is how. Good time credits are at risk. If the incident that triggered the...

Most inmates are released early in the morning, often sometime between midnight and 8 AM, depending on the facility. How long the process takes: The actual release processing usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour This includes paperwork, returning property, and final checks What can affect timing: The facility’s schedule and staffing How many inmates are being released that day Final administrative checks Some inmates are released right at midnight, while others may be processed later in the morning. Best advice: If you are picking someone up, it is smart to: Check with...

How often an inmate can respond depends on the communication method and what is available at their specific facility. For letters, there is no limit on frequency. An inmate can write back as often as they want as long as they have stamps, paper, and envelopes. Those are purchased through the commissary, and most facilities also have an indigent mail program that provides a basic allotment of supplies to inmates with no money on their books. An inmate who wants to...

There is no set timeline, and the right to a speedy trial does not mean a fast one in practice. The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to a speedy trial, but what qualifies as speedy is defined differently by federal and state law and interpreted case by case. In federal court, the Speedy Trial Act sets specific time limits, but continuances requested by either side routinely extend those windows. In state courts, the rules vary considerably and delays of months or...

Smoking is banned in all federal correctional facilities and in the vast majority of state and county facilities across the country. The ban covers tobacco products entirely, including cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and related items. Tobacco is contraband in most prisons and inmates found with it face disciplinary consequences. This has been the standard for many years and is not likely to change. On gang activity at Boonville specifically, Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron and the Boonville facilities in Missouri are state-operated...

If your number is already local to your partner at Balch Springs Jail, then in most cases, there is little to no savings using a local number service. Here is why: You are already being billed at the local rate, which is usually the lowest available The main purpose of services like InmateAid is to convert long distance calls into local calls However, there is one exception: If the facility uses Securus Technologies or a similar provider, sometimes: Even “local” calls are priced unusually high Using a different local number (from another rate center)...

Rockdale County Jail in Conyers, Georgia offers contact visitation, meaning you will be in the same room as your boyfriend rather than separated by glass. Visits run approximately 20 minutes, and correctional officers are present in the visitation area throughout. Physical contact is limited. A brief hug at the beginning and end of the visit is generally permitted. Extended physical contact or anything beyond that is not allowed with staff present, and any behavior that draws attention from the officers will...

Tracy, formally known as the Deuel Vocational Institution, is one of California's reception centers where newly sentenced inmates go through intake and classification before being transferred to their permanent facility. The reception process takes time, and phone access is not available until that process is complete. Most inmates at a California reception center complete Admissions and Orientation within a couple of days to about two weeks after arrival, though the timeline varies depending on how many new arrivals are being processed...