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
When an inmate begins their sentence they are given "good time" or "gain time" of 15%. Therefore the inmate is set to do 85% of their sentence. If they get into situations where incident reports mount up, they could ultimately have their good time taken away. Discipline cannot add time to their sentence unless a new crime (assault, escape, attempted murder, murder) was committed and they were found guilty.
Subject: Prison discipline
Nevada Southern Detention Center is a CCA facility which means it is privately run. I've been in a CCA prison in Tennessee which could not have been more strict. The CCA staff follows the rules to the letter. In my opinion, when the guards stick to the rules (on the strict side) there are a lot less problems. The inmates take the position that it's not worth going to the SHU because there are no second chances to avoid punishment....
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Inmates do not have access to the Internet. There are some facilities that now have an email service that is closed from the Internett. However, the emails cost the inmate to read and write. Even though inmates do not have online access, and therefore no Facebook, but we know for certain that inmates get ahold of smartphones and can create and maintain FB accounts. Not smart, but they figure they are in prison anyway, why not break more rules. We...
Read moreSubject: Prison discipline
It depends on what sent him there and how seriously the facility views the infraction relative to his treatment eligibility.
In many cases, a SHU placement does not automatically disqualify someone from a treatment program, particularly if the underlying incident was relatively minor and he has otherwise maintained a solid record. Treatment programs like RDAP in the federal system and similar substance abuse tracks in state facilities look at the full picture rather than a single incident in isolation. One trip...
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Yes, mail continues in both directions even during a SHU placement. It is one of the few privileges that survives a trip to the hole largely intact.
Prison administration treats mail as a protected form of communication and makes genuine effort to ensure inmates remain connected to their families and loved ones regardless of disciplinary status. When an inmate goes to the hole, phone access gets severely restricted, commissary gets limited, and movement stops entirely, but the mail keeps moving. Letters,...
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Yes they do, unless they are serving sentences subject to disciplinary time imposed.
Subject: Prison discipline
Try not to panic. Being handcuffed and removed from a cell happens for a wide range of reasons, most of which are not as serious as they look in the moment.
The most common explanations are a routine cell search or shakedown, a transfer to a different housing unit within the facility, a medical situation that requires attention, or a move to segregation pending an investigation into something that may or may not involve your husband directly. Facilities also pull inmates...
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No, absolutely not. However, there are inmates that have illegally obtained smartphones and can get access for a brief time. Inmates caught with a cell phone are subject to harsh disciplinary actions including loss of all privileges (commissary, telephone, visitation and possibly freedom because they will certainly spend the next 6-12 months in segregation in the SHU). There is a chance the inmate will catch another charge which could add upto another FIVE YEARS to their sentence, plus they are...
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In your My Account area after logging in, the section "Letters to Inmates" will have a record of all your paid and pending letters, photos, postcards or greeting cards.
Subject: Prison discipline
You can, but it's a big mistake.
Subject: Prison discipline
It can range from several months in the SHU and lost privileges to catching another charge and having time added to their current sentence.
Subject: Prison discipline
A facility shakedown is where the inmates are sequestered in an area for hours while the guards go through the facility, cell by cell, room by room, searching for contraband. They will turn beds upside down, they go into the ceiling where there is access, they check the kitchen, bathrooms, chapel... everywhere. After they have finished, the collection of contraband is displayed in some form to show the inmates that they will eventually find everything. If they can tie anything...
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This is a serious situation and the consequences are going to be significant on multiple levels.
Work release is one of the most privileged statuses an inmate can have. It means the system trusted him enough to send him outside the walls with minimal supervision. Getting caught smuggling contraband back in is a direct betrayal of that trust, and the response from the facility and the courts will reflect that.
The immediate consequence is the SHU. Expect several months in segregation at...
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There is really no difference. They are all segregated custody from either an Administrative Order (AO) or a Disciplinary Order.(DO). The SHU is short for Special Housing Unit, Security Housing Unit or Segregated Housing Unit. and PC is "protective custody".
It sounds like something happened that caused the administration to declare him for PC on an DO. We interpret this to mean he was threatened (or threatened someone else) and it is being determined is he is a safety issue in the general population....
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SHU inmates at Wasco State Prison are permitted one fifteen-minute phone call per week. That is the standard allowance for segregated housing in the California system, and it applies regardless of the reason for placement. One call, fifteen minutes, once every seven days. When that window comes up, make sure you are available to answer because missing it means waiting another full week.
On visitation approval, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation processes visitor applications on a timeline that varies...
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