Survive Prison Questions — Ask The Inmate

It is generally something that is frowned upon. Inmates should not talk about their crime, especially if the crime is a societal taboo that would make the offender a target for prison justice. Inmates will start with, "How much time do you have?" ...which is usually followed by..."what happened?" Inmates can ALWAYS find out why a person is incarcerated. Inmates are smart. As in inmate, a person has nothing but time to think and gather information. I remember all types of...

We do not have any first-hand accounts of this facility but it is a decent sized place and by the online description, there are a lot of correctional officers on duty. This means that they have a big budget which makes the treatment much better for inmates. There are no reports of heavy gang activity which rises the level of anxiety and bad behavior exponentially. But, let's face it, this is prison and he will have to behave himself and...

Being locked up is pretty boring. One of the reasons inmateAID was founded was to give loved ones an organized and reliable way to help their inmate's time go by more smoothly. Reading is a great escape - we recommend sending lots of magazines, newspapers and books if you are able. Send them letters and photos to keep connected to the outside world. Some cells have phones, some do not. TVs are located in the common areas in the general population...

We have had similar questions on Ask the Inmate and have responded very honestly. Some inmates in your spouse's situation will work out a deal to "use the commissary account" of another inmate. You place the money in the other inmate's account and they buy the items your spouse wants. The inmates charge a fee which is usually some percentage of the total money deposited to buy some things for themselves. This is a common inmate-to-inmate service that is against...

Federal inmates must go through an Admissions and Orientation (A&O) before they are allowed to make calls or receive visitors. This usually occurs every Wednesday depending upon the amount of new incoming inmates. Inmates are screened by Unit Management and Health Services at the time of arrival and will also be screened by Psychology and Education Staff. Inmates are immediately provided with a copy of the institution's rules and regulations, which include information on inmate rights and responsibilities. For the...

Most inamtes do their time without ever having to fear for their safety. Others seem to find conflict at every turn. A lot has to do with the type of person that inmate is, are they argumentative, are they mouthy and challenge everything people do? Obviously, the more that the inmate keeps to themselves and is not disrespectful to others, the more peace they will have. The guards in most instances are well trained and have empathy for the offenders...

All the boot-camp prisons incorporate the core components of military basic training, with physical training and hard labor. Most target young offenders convicted of nonviolent crimes such as drug, burglary, or theft. Participation is limited to those who do not have an extensive past history of criminal activity. The major incentive for entering the boot camp is that the boot camp requires a shorter term than a traditional prison sentence. On a typical day, the participants arise before dawn, rapidly dress,...

The contact that you are engaging in now is great. The writing, the visits and the phone calls are showing him you care. He will be away a long time and this is going to get tougher on you as the time passes. We highly recommend sending magazine and newspaper subscriptions as the frequency of incoming mail is very soothing. If he likes to read, get him hooked on books. He can either read different genres with different authors OR...

In the TDCJ, Byrd and Gurney are similar institutions. There are various potential reason why your son was moved within the first week. There might be a program at Gurney that was not available at Byrd. There might be an issue where another inmate is related in some way to your son's case and they have to keep them separated. We don't think there is anything to be overly concerned with regarding the quick move. To get a transfer, the offender...

The SHU or Special Housing Unit is the area of segregation that has no time limit. Prison rules are set by and followed only by prison personnel and no other outside forces may weigh in. Inmates are not entitled to attorney representation or other rights afforded by regular citizens. When the BOP states "they are investigating", there nothing an inmate can do. They have to deal with the rigors of the SHU. Our advice is to send him a lot...

Staying to yourself is not about being antisocial. It is a deliberate strategy for getting through a sentence without unnecessary conflict, and it works. The concept is simple: find a routine, stick to it, keep your head down, and do not give anyone a reason to involve you in their drama. That said, doing all the right things is not a guarantee. Some people follow every unwritten rule and still end up in a bad situation through no fault of their...

This is a question that is not for us to answer for you. You cannot let the silence convince you of one thing or another. If you confirm it, that is one thing but to break up "thinking it is someone else" might be a mistake. There might be another explanation since the whole prison-thing is about isolation. They might have phone privileges suspended, or he might not have funds to call, or maybe he thinks you are with someone...