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

Federal camps are the lowest security level in the system, and for a white collar offender, that is generally where you will land. The environment is structured but not oppressive, and the population tends to be calmer and more manageable than what you find at higher security levels. The day revolves around work, meals, count times, and whatever programming or personal time fills the gaps. Having a job is mandatory, and new inmates typically get assigned to one of three places...

This happens more often than you would think, and it is usually a simple fix. Most inmate phone systems have a feature where pressing a certain key during an incoming call, often a number on the keypad, triggers an automatic block on that number. It is easy to do accidentally, especially if you are fumbling with the phone or hit a button while trying to answer. The good news is it is not permanent. Call the facility directly and ask to speak...

Good news. The service works the same way for state prison as it does for county jail. Here is how it works. Every facility uses a phone carrier, and that carrier sets rates based on the phone number being called. Those rates vary depending on the number's area code, carrier, and location. InmateAid's system runs your number through an algorithm that checks the carrier's own rate calculator and determines whether a different forwarding number can connect you to your inmate at...

Hay más de 18.000 prisiones y cárceles y alrededor de 25 compañías telefónicas independientes que contratan instalaciones individuales. En casi todos los casos, existe una amplia variación de precios según su ubicación. En la prisión federal, las tarifas son de seis centavos por minuto para un número local, 21 centavos por minuto para una llamada de larga distancia. Cualquier número local ayudará a un preso federal a ahorrar dinero. Emitimos la línea local, se la dan al interno que tiene que...

There is no set timeline, and that is the frustrating reality of transfers within the county and state system. Once a sentence is handed down and a placement is determined, the facility needs two things to move him: an available bed at the receiving location and a transport arrangement. Both of those depend on factors outside anyone's direct control. If the detention center has open beds and a transport run scheduled soon, it could happen within days. If beds are tight...

If Butner is the facility listed on his sentencing paperwork, that is where he is going. The Bureau of Prisons follows through on designations. Tallahatchie is simply a holding point while the transfer logistics get arranged. What you will not get is any advance notice of when it happens. That is by design. Transfer dates, times, and routes are kept confidential for security reasons. The facility will not tell you, and your son likely will not know until the morning it...

  There are over 18,000 prisons and jails and about 25 separate phone carriers that contract with individual facilities. In almost every case, there is a wide price variance depending on your location. In federal prison, the rates are six cents per minute for a local number, 21 cents per minute for a long-distance call. Any local number will help a federal inmate save money. We issue the local line, they give it to the inmate who has to initiate the...

When a letter feels too slow, you have a few options worth trying. The fastest is to call the facility directly and ask nicely. This works about half the time and depends entirely on who picks up the phone and how the conversation goes. Be polite, be brief, and be straightforward about what you need. Something simple like explaining that your number changed and you just need someone to pass it along to your fiancé goes further than a complicated story....

First, we are sorry about your son's sentence. Twenty-five years is a long road and the first days after sentencing are among the hardest for everyone involved. Here is what to expect in terms of communication. Kirkland Correctional Institution is South Carolina's reception and evaluation center, which means your son will go through an orientation period of about a week or so before full privileges open up. During that window phone access is limited while he gets processed, classified, and assigned...