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

Both approaches work, and understanding the difference helps you choose the one that makes the most financial sense for your situation. The first option is setting up an AdvancePay account through Securus directly. You fund that account and your boyfriend's calls to your number draw from it. The catch is that Securus charges a transaction fee every time you deposit money, which can be significant depending on the deposit amount and method. Those fees add up over time and represent money...

You can try, and it is worth the call. But going in with the right approach makes all the difference in whether you get a helpful response or a polite no. Counselors and unit staff at county detention facilities are not technically required to pass along personal messages or phone number updates from outside parties. That is not their official role. However, many staff members are genuinely willing to help when someone calls with a reasonable, humble request and treats them...

No, and any company claiming to offer unlimited calls to a correctional facility is taking your money without delivering what they are promising. This is one of the most common scams targeting families of inmates, and it is worth understanding why it cannot exist. Bradford County Correctional in Troy, Pennsylvania, uses GlobalTel*Link as its exclusive phone carrier. GTL holds the contract at that facility, which means every single call your inmate makes runs through GTL and GTL only. No outside company...

The shorter release date is exactly what is supposed to happen, and it is good news rather than a mistake. When a sentence is imposed and the inmate enters the system, good time credits are applied at the start of the sentence rather than earned gradually over time. In California, most inmates receive a standard credit of half time, meaning they serve approximately 50 percent of the imposed sentence for most offenses, though some charges carry different percentages. On a three...

Yes, InmateAid's discount phone service applies to Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia, South Carolina. The savings depend on your specific phone number and what rate the facility's carrier currently charges for it, which is why checking before you sign up is the right move. The way it works is straightforward. Every correctional facility has a single phone carrier holding the contract, and that carrier charges different rates depending on the number your inmate is dialing. InmateAid identifies the number...

We are focused on the sentence, "the bail people said it wouldn't be worth it". Depending on the conditions for the bail as set by the magistrate at the arraignment, the bail bondsman's reply sounds like they are weighing their risk. The bonding company must guarantee the court that your fiance will appear for all court dates. If the amount is too high, or the court thinks the offender is a flight risk, either they feel he might flee or they know something (not...

The honest answer is that you often will not know in advance, and that is by design rather than by accident. Prison transfers are not announced ahead of time to inmates or their families. The facility does not want anyone on the outside knowing when a transfer is happening because advance knowledge creates opportunities for interference, escape attempts, or security complications during transport. Your husband will likely be woken up early one morning, told to gather his property, and moved out...

Yes, Hardin County Detention Center in Savannah does have commissary available to inmates. The specific vendor the facility contracts with can change over time as these contracts go out to bid periodically, so the most current information on which company is running it is best confirmed by calling the facility directly. What stays consistent regardless of vendor is how the process works. You put money on your inmate's account through whatever deposit method the facility uses, typically an online platform, a...

InmateAid does not have access to court calendars, pretrial orders, or case-specific information, so that is not something that can be answered from here. But the information you are looking for is public record and accessible through the right channels. The Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court is your first call. The clerk's office maintains the court calendar and can tell you whether a hearing is scheduled, what the next court date is, and what the current status of the case looks...

The lights out protocol in a county jail marks the transition from the active portion of the day to overnight operations. At most county facilities this happens at around 9:30pm, though the specific time can vary by institution and sometimes by housing unit within the same facility. When lights out is called, inmates are expected to return to their cells or assigned sleeping areas. Movement through the facility is restricted, phone access is typically cut off or significantly limited, and the...