Prison Discipline — Ask the Inmate
Every correctional facility operates under a disciplinary system that governs inmate behavior and imposes consequences for rule violations. Understanding how that system works is essential for anyone trying to navigate incarceration successfully, because a disciplinary record can affect housing assignments, program eligibility, good time credits, halfway house placement, and parole decisions. This section covers what types of disciplinary infractions exist and how they are classified, what the disciplinary hearing process looks like, what rights inmates have when facing a disciplinary charge, what sanctions can be imposed including loss of privileges, solitary confinement, and good time forfeiture, and how to appeal a disciplinary decision. The guidance here is written for inmates who want to understand the rules clearly enough to avoid violations and for families who want to help their loved one protect their record. See also our sections on Prison Violence, Survive Prison, and Sentence Reduction
CDU stands for Control and Discipline Unit, sometimes called segregation or the hole depending on the facility. It is where inmates are sent when they are found to have violated a facility rule, whether that violation involved a verbal order, a written directive, or a more serious infraction. Being sent to CDU means the facility determined your fiance broke a rule serious enough to warrant removal from general population. As for what specific order he disobeyed, the facility will
Read moreIt means that they are in protective custody, special housing unit, the SHU - it is segregation from general population, 24/7 lockdown (3 hours per week for rec). This can be for either administrative or disciplinary reasons.
Read moreAfter the fight, the participants are taken to the SHU (the hole). They get a hearing from the Disciplinary Hearing Officer (DHO). The DHO is lawyer, judge and jury. The inmate may call one character witness (in my case i used the CO who ran my work detail). The decision is instant and the penalty is immediately enforced. Fighting, depending on the severity of injuries, if any, or property damaged will weigh into the penalty phase. They could lose visitation,
Read moreNot good. Shu for months, loss of good time, then transfer from facility to higher custody level - much harder time going forward, loss of all privileges and maybe catch a new charge or two.
Read moreHair dye is a minor infraction especially in a camp, but contraband is a loosely used term in the incident reports. Contraband can be a weapon, drugs, obvious signs of operating a business, gambling records or ANYTHING not on the comissary list. Hair dye seems almost like a nuisance charge, we wonder whose bad-side did your husband get on. Our guess is that the SHU stay will be no more than two weeks and he might have some limitations on commissary purchases
Read moreLOP is "loss of privileges". If he was moved, it was probably to a disciplinary or special housing unit (SHU) within his complex detention unit (CDU). The loss of privileges could include limited or no visitation, limited or no phone or limited or no commissary. The length of time will stem from the charges and results of his hearing.
Read moreRefusing to take a urine test is considered "disobeying a direct order". This is viewed as "major" because without some sort of order in the prison, the staff would totally lose control. The punishment is as severe as it can be to hold out as an example to others thinking about UA refusal. He will get placed in Disciplinary Segregation, also known as the SHU, the Special Housing Unit, solitary confinement, or the "hole". There, he will be in a
Read moreRestricted housing is solitary confinement or "the hole". Evidently he was cited for some violation and as a punishment he has been sent to the hole. There is really no way of knowing how long this will be. There is literally no limit to the amount of you an inmate could spend there. It depends on what he went in there for. Was it contraband, a cellphone? Was he fighting? Or worse? Typically an inmate will be allowed to
Read moreIt is the same everywhere. When there is an "altercation", the participants are sent to the SHU ("special" housing unit) for a period of time. Depending on the severity of the altercation and how many incident reports they already jhave, they could get one to twelve months in solitary. Phone privileges are significantly reduced in the SHU to one 15-minute call per week. If the altercation was about the phone, the privileges could be suspended indefinitely.
Read moreThe Secure Housing Unit (SHU) is segregated housing and it is used for disciplinary or administrative reasons. When an inmate is in PC or Protective Custody for their own safety, this is where they go to be secure from danger. Unfortunately it’s a miserable existence.
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