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
Subject: Prison discipline
There is no legal limitation on the length of time an inmate may remain in the SHU or the "hole". There are no laws that an inmate can rely on to govern how they are incarcerated. They are basically 'property of the department of corrections' - and have to do whatever the department decides, whenever they decide. Stays in the SHU can be months and months for infractions that are considered safety violations, like possession of a cellphone, a weapon,...
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No. That is one of the most persistent myths about prison and it comes almost entirely from television and movies that need conflict to fill airtime.
The reality is that most days inside look nothing like what gets portrayed on screen. Inmates wake up, eat, go to work assignments or programming, exercise, watch television, read, and go to sleep. That routine repeats itself day after day and for the majority of people serving time it passes without physical confrontation.
Prison does have...
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Both phone access and visitation get significantly restricted when someone is placed in segregation, but the specifics depend on why they are there.
On the phone side, inmates in seg are typically limited to one 15-minute call per week. That is the standard across most federal and state facilities and it applies whether the placement is administrative or disciplinary in nature. However, if the reason for the segregation placement is a disciplinary infraction and a phone restriction was issued as part...
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When an inmate breaks the rules, the facility has a range of disciplinary tools at its disposal and the punishment handed down depends on the severity of the infraction and the inmate's prior disciplinary history.
The most common privileges that get pulled include phone access, commissary, visitation, and recreation time. These are the four things inmates value most in their daily lives and facilities know that. Losing one or all of them for an extended period is a significant consequence that...
Read moreSubject: Prison discipline
A parole revocation on a sentence this size is a serious situation and the realistic outlook depends heavily on what caused the violation, the supervising parole officer's recommendation, and ultimately what the parole board decides.
The most optimistic outcomes, a nine-month flop or placement in a therapeutic program like a men's healing center, are typically reserved for people early in a long sentence who have demonstrated genuine progress and whose violation was relatively minor. A flop means being returned to custody...
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A sexual act infraction is a formal disciplinary charge issued when an inmate engages in sexual behavior that violates facility rules. It goes on their disciplinary record and can carry real consequences including loss of good time, restricted privileges, placement in the SHU, or in some cases additional criminal charges.
The two most common situations that generate this infraction are indecent exposure in front of staff and sexual contact with another inmate.
Indecent exposure typically means masturbating in view of an officer,...
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The cycle ends when they decide they have had enough of the nonsense and finally grow up. No matter how good of a mother you are, you cannot take responsibility for abhorrent behavior. they know right from wrong. Keep showing love, but don't let him walk over you or con you into supporting him. He needs to exhibit some humility, gratitude and love for himself.
Subject: Prison discipline
Generally no. Being written up and sent to the hole does not result in money being taken from an inmate's commissary account as a standard punishment. Disciplinary sanctions typically come in the form of lost privileges, loss of good time credits, or placement in segregation. Random monetary deductions as punishment are not standard practice.
That said, there are several legitimate circumstances where a facility can and does deduct from an inmate's account.
Restitution. If a court ordered restitution as part of the...
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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...
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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...
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The box, also called the hole, SHU, or solitary confinement, has no fixed release timeline. How long someone stays there depends almost entirely on why they were placed there in the first place.
There are two main types of segregation and they work differently.
Disciplinary segregation is punishment for a specific rule violation. The length of time is determined by the disciplinary hearing process and is tied to the severity of the infraction. Minor violations might result in a few days to...
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Yes, it is possible, and whether it happens depends almost entirely on the severity of the infraction and how the facility classifies it.
Prison infractions are generally divided into categories ranging from minor to serious. Minor infractions, things like being out of place, having unauthorized items, or minor rule violations, typically result in sanctions like loss of privileges, extra duty, or a short stint in segregation. They may not affect good time credits at all or may result in only a...
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Cell reassignments are a routine part of jail administration and happen for reasons that have nothing to do with the individual inmate. Facilities shift populations constantly to manage space, separate incompatible inmates, accommodate new arrivals, or respond to classification changes. An occasional move is completely normal and should not raise concern on its own.
Six moves in five weeks is a different matter. That frequency goes beyond routine administrative shuffling and suggests something more specific is driving it. There are several...
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Relatives can contact the inmate counselor or case manager directly to get information about housing status and disciplinary outcomes. Non-relatives may find it considerably more difficult, as facilities typically limit disclosure of this type of information to immediate family members.
Subject: Prison discipline
The confusion here is understandable because it feels like being punished twice for the same thing. But internal discipline and criminal prosecution are two entirely separate systems operating independently of each other. The facility's decision to put him in the hole for 45 days was an administrative response to a rule violation. A criminal indictment by a prosecutor is a completely different action under a completely different legal framework, and one does not cancel out the other.
Phone calls inside correctional...
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