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

The uncertainty you are feeling right now is completely normal, and the lack of information is not a sign that something is wrong. It is standard procedure. Huntsville is the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's primary intake and processing facility. When an inmate arrives there from a county jail, the classification process begins. TDCJ evaluates the person's criminal history, the nature of the offense, their institutional behavior, medical and educational needs, and available bed space across the system. That assessment determines...

23 housing refers to 23-hour lockdown, which is another way of describing segregation or the Special Housing Unit, commonly known as the SHU or the hole. The name comes from the reality of what it means day to day. The inmate is in their cell for 23 hours out of every 24, with one hour out for a shower or limited movement depending on the facility's specific protocol. This placement outside of general population happens for several reasons and not all...

SID stands for Special Investigations Division, which is the internal affairs unit within the New Jersey Department of Corrections. When an inmate is flagged for a SID investigation, it means something serious enough has occurred or been alleged that it requires a formal investigation beyond what the regular disciplinary process handles. This is not a routine write-up. SID gets involved when the situation involves potential criminal conduct, serious security threats, gang activity, contraband operations, or other matters that rise above...

The fastest and most direct way is to ask your son. He knows what the write-up was for and what sanctions were handed down at his disciplinary hearing. If he is able to make his one weekly call from the SHU, that conversation will tell you everything the facility is unlikely to share with you directly. From the outside, your options for getting information are limited. The facility is not required to notify family members about disciplinary infractions or the sanctions...

The honest answer is that it depends on how strictly Crawford County Jail runs its background checks, and the only way to know for certain is to call them directly before you show up. When you arrive at a facility for visitation, most jails run your identification through the NCIC database, which is the national criminal information system. That check will surface your probation status regardless of which county it is in. Crawford County having stricter rules than your home county...

The hardest part of this answer is that your ability to influence his physical placement from the outside is extremely limited, and calling the classification center to request a move is not something that carries weight in the way you might hope. Facility placement decisions belong entirely to the corrections department, and outside requests from family members do not typically move that needle. What can actually help him is action on his end, and he needs to take it now. If he...

Preparing them before you walk through that door is the most important thing you can do, and you are already thinking about it the right way. At 9 and 11, kids are old enough to understand more than adults sometimes give them credit for, but they still need the information framed in a way that does not frighten them more than necessary. If their dad has visible injuries from the arrest, tell them before they see him. Something simple and calm:...

Whether it is a new charge or a violation of parole, the destination is the same. SCI Phoenix is a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections facility, and both situations can result in someone being sent there to potentially serve out the remainder of their original sentence. The mechanism is different but the landing spot can be identical. To find out which situation applies, there are a few ways to get that information before you talk to him directly. The Pennsylvania court docket system...

The main difference is the federal budget is $7 billion/year, the inmates are well fed and well cared for with a lot of programming options. In general, the guards are paid better and trained better. The state system is as different as the 50 states they are in. Some are okay and others are miserable - like no air conditioning in the hot southern summer. We would say with 100% surety that the federal penitentiaries are better for the inmate than...