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Ask a former inmate questions at no charge. The inmate answering has spent considerable time in the federal prison system, state and county jails, and in a prison that was run by the private prison entity CCA.

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Subject: Commissary

You should call the facility first before you do anything and see if they would allow it. In state prison, some states allow you to send shoes or work boots (or order them for the inmate and they are shipped in). In federal you definitely cannot. All extra footware is bought through the commissary. The pricing is very fair for sneakers and boots. The inmate would need money on their books to be able to acquire them. 

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Subject: Sentencing questions

The range here runs from roughly 3 to 5 years on the lenient end to significantly more on the other end, and several variables determine where the sentence lands within that spectrum. Arizona uses a structured sentencing system with presumptive, mitigated, and aggravated ranges for each offense class. A single count of aggravated assault as a class 3 or class 4 felony carries a presumptive sentence in the range of 5 to 7.5 years for a non-repetitive offender. With

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Subject: Release questions

The new resisting arrest charge does not automatically add time to the existing 7-month sentence. The two matters are legally separate and get handled independently through their own processes. The original 7-month sentence moves forward on its own timeline without being directly affected by the new charge. What the new charge does is create a second legal matter that will eventually come before a judge, and that is where the real risk to additional time exists. On its

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Subject: Send inmate mail

That might work, but it won't look like you cared very much. Our postcard service is great, and it's easy to upload photos off your phone and create a message on the other side for only 99 cents. It'll be a better option I think

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Subject: Sentencing questions

A suspended sentence works differently from a standard sentence calculation and understanding that distinction explains why the July release date is likely accurate without any additional good time reduction applied on top. When a judge sentences someone to 5 years suspended to 4, the suspension itself is the leniency built into the sentence. Your brother is only serving 4 of the 5 years, which already represents a 20% reduction from the maximum the judge could have imposed. That suspension

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Subject: Send inmate mail

The inmate writes to you using our address - some people love not having to use their own address if they choose not to. We receive the letters (up to 6 pages) on your behalf and scan them into your account and send you an email notification that it's there.

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Subject: Prison discipline

The 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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Subject: Send inmate mail

You can write him through InmateAid, the letters will get there in one day as we are headquartered in Palm Beach County Florida only one county away from Broward County where he is locked up. You can send him magazines or books - with his situation, he is completely walled off from contact with other inmates. I've been in soitary and it is no joke. Reading was my only escape.  There are other enlightenment opportunites down the road through college correspondence courses, but that

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Subject: Release questions

If you do not pick up your boyfriend's belongings within the 30-day window, they will most likely be boxed up and placed in storage at the facility rather than discarded or donated immediately. Correctional facilities keep inmate property in storage for a reasonable period because they understand that circumstances sometimes prevent timely pickup and because the property belongs to the inmate who will eventually need it. The storage arrangement is not indefinite and facilities do prefer that family members

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Subject: Send books and magazines

Malcolm Galdwell books, "Tipping Point", "Outliers" and "Blink" are recommended for business philosopy-type reading. For fiction reading, i like the authors Stuart Woods, Vince Flynn, Harlen Coben, Lee Child, John Grisham, Daniel Silva, Michael Lewis and Sandra Brown. There are tons of titles for these authors. The prison/jail rules require buying paperback books from the publisher like Amazon, don't try and send them yourself,they will definitely get returned.

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