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

To find out if someone is in a specific jail like Haysi, you will need to verify their custody status directly through official channels. The most reliable way is to contact the facility and ask if the person is currently housed there. You can also use an inmate locator through the state or county system if one is available. If you are not sure of the exact location or want to confirm details, a people search tool like TruthFinder can sometimes...

Inmates generally do not receive letters directly through the internet. When you send a letter online through a service like InmateAid, it is printed and mailed to the facility as regular postal mail. Once your letter is processed and sent, it typically arrives at the jail or prison within 2 to 3 business days through the postal system. That is just the delivery to the facility. After it arrives, the facility’s mailroom staff will open and inspect the letter for security reasons....

We estimate that it takes 2-3 business days to make it to the jail. Once there, the staff opens and reads each piece of mail and inspects it for contraband. Any delay that occurs at the facility is out of our control. We make no guarantees as to how long it will take as there are thousands of facilities and none of them do things the same way.Please be patient, if the ID number and facility are correct we are 100% reliable. Mail call is Monday...

The letter and photo service from InmateAid is straightforward. You type up a letter and upload photos where applicable - proceed to the Pay Now page and complete the transaction. The letter order flows through our Admin area to the Processing Department. Letters are processed immediately upon entry unless it is after 6pm on Saturday, then the letters do not go through the process until Monday morning. You may check in your My Account area to see the status of your letter order. The letters are printed, folded and...

This is a tough situation, and it happens more often than people think. When an inmate feels targeted by certain staff, it can be frustrating because the system tends to favor the officer’s report over the inmate’s version of events. The first and most important step is to continue using the grievance process. It may feel like it is not working, but building a consistent paper trail matters. Dates, times, names, and details should be documented as clearly as possible. Multiple...

A defendant will be designated to a facility based on a point system and their designation score. The higher the point score, the more restrictive the facility, although Public Safety Factors can (and in almost all instances do) override the designation score. Inmates former criminal history weighs heavily on where they are designated. Obviously this is a major increase in points for those who have significant criminal history. They look at the Judgment and Commitment Order for this score. If...

Federal prison security level assignments are determined by a classification scoring system that considers criminal history points, the nature and severity of the offense, the length of the sentence, any history of violence, and institutional behavior if the person has been incarcerated before. For someone with a child pornography conviction, a gang dropout background, and documented health problems, the classification picture is complicated by several factors pulling in different directions. Child pornography convictions in the federal system are typically non-violent offenses in...

Generally no. Federal Bureau of Prisons policy restricts visitation from individuals with felony convictions. When you submit a visitation application, a background check is run, and a felony conviction on your record is one of the most common reasons applications are denied at the federal level. The exception most worth knowing about is close family relationships. If you are an immediate family member, a parent, sibling, spouse, or child of the inmate, the warden has discretion to grant special visitation approval...

Classification decisions are made by the state or federal department of corrections based on a combination of factors, and the profile you are describing creates a complicated picture. A child pornography conviction places someone in one of the most scrutinized categories in the correctional system. Sex offenders, particularly those with offenses involving children, are often housed separately from the general population for their own safety. The general population does not treat these charges neutrally, and facilities are well aware of the...

Yes, you will still need to pay the prison’s phone provider in addition to the InmateAid service. These are two separate parts of the same call. The facility’s phone company controls all outgoing calls, so your husband must have funds on his account, or you must fund the account on your side depending on how that facility handles calls. That payment covers the connection from the prison phone system. What InmateAid provides is a local number that reduces the cost of those...

Early release on a sentence for unpaid child support is possible, but it usually depends on one key factor: resolving the underlying obligation. In most cases, someone jailed for child support is there because of a contempt order from the court. That means the judge is trying to enforce payment, not just punish. Because of that, the court often allows release if the person makes a meaningful effort to pay what is owed. The most direct way to get out early is...

In most prisons, including facilities like Shutter Creek in Oregon, inmates do not have direct access to the internet. They cannot legally browse websites, use social media, or post ads online the way people on the outside can. If you are seeing something posted online that appears to be from him, there are a few possible explanations. The most common is that someone on the outside is posting on his behalf. Friends or family sometimes manage social media accounts, post ads, or...

Yes, there are still two parts to the cost, and it can be confusing at first. Your inmate is responsible for paying for the call on their end using their facility phone account or calling card. That part never goes away because the prison phone provider controls all outgoing calls and charges for the connection. What you are paying for through InmateAid is the setup that reduces the cost of the call overall. We provide a local number that your inmate can...

You might be able to take a few days worth depending upon what it is and where you are incarcerated. Every place is different and you will have to learn the rules quickly. Part of your orientation is to go through a complete physical and psyche evaluation. This is where the medicines that you've been on will be discussed and either verified and prescribed or rejected. If you are on a list to receive medicines, then you will do the...