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

County jails have widely varying policies on care packages, and the first step is always to call the facility directly and ask what their specific rules are. Some jails accept packages from family, others only allow packages from approved vendors, and some do not permit outside packages at all. There is no universal standard at the county level. For facilities that do allow outside packages, items are typically restricted to approved clothing, hygiene products, and similar basics. Food is usually not...

Whether parole is even a possibility on this sentence depends entirely on what the judge wrote in the Judgment and Commitment Order at the time of sentencing. That document is the controlling authority on parole eligibility. If the judge included a parole provision, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has jurisdiction to consider release before the full sentence is served. If parole is not written into the order, it is not available regardless of conduct or programming. Two-year sentences resulting...

This situation carries serious consequences on multiple levels and the assault of a corrections officer is what transforms a manageable problem into a potentially devastating one. Cell phone possession in a California state prison is already a significant infraction. Under federal law the Contraband Cell Phone Act carries up to five years of additional prison time, though in practice California state facilities typically handle phone possession through the institutional disciplinary system rather than new federal charges. The standard response is SHU...

The physical contact rules in a prison visiting room apply equally to all approved visitors regardless of their relationship to the inmate. The standard policy at most correctional facilities permits one brief hug and kiss at the start of the visit and one at the end. That rule does not distinguish between a spouse, a family member, a friend, or any other approved visitor on the list. Correctional facilities are not in the business of policing the personal relationships or moral...

The most accurate description of daily prison life is the movie Groundhog Day. Every day is identical to the one before it. Same wake-up time, same meals, same faces, same walls, same routine repeated without variation for however long the sentence runs. The monotony is the hardest part for most people, more than the physical environment or even the separation from family. Time moves differently inside, and the sameness of it is something you have to actively fight against to...

Yes, and this is standard policy at most correctional facilities across the country. A brief hug and a light kiss are permitted when your inmate enters the visiting room at the start of the visit and again when the visit ends. That physical greeting and goodbye is considered a normal part of the visitation experience and corrections staff expect it. The key word is brief. A light kiss and a gentle hug that lasts a few seconds falls well within what...

Lewis Prison, formally the Lewis Complex, is an Arizona Department of Corrections facility in Buckeye and there are several reliable options for getting money onto your inmate's books. The three most commonly used services are JPay, MoneyGram, and Western Union. All three are established platforms that process inmate deposits and each charges a transaction fee that varies based on the amount being sent and the payment method you use. The fees are comparable across the three services but can differ enough...

The Bland Correctional Center is a male reception and classification facility. Its role is to intake offenders from the local jails and process them into the Department. It houses inmates classified to multiple levels of security. This is a state prison in the Virginia Department of Corrections, their statement on mail and visitation are as follows: The Department of Corrections encourages inmate correspondence that is directed to socially useful goals. Inmates shall be allowed to correspond with families, friends, attorneys, courts and...

A felony conviction does not automatically end the conversation, but it does mean the standard approval process will not work for you. The background check that every visitor goes through flags felony records, and a standard application will come back denied. The path that exists for your situation runs through the warden's office. A special visitation waiver can be requested, and wardens do grant them in circumstances where the applicant makes a compelling case. A 2014 conviction with completed probation and...

Mail forwarding between correctional facilities is not reliable and in most cases does not happen at all. When an inmate transfers out of a facility, mail that arrives after their departure typically gets returned to sender rather than forwarded to the new location. The timing in your situation makes it particularly uncertain since the transfer happened the day after you sent the letters and postcard. Whether your mail reaches him depends on where it was in the postal system when the...

A transfer within the same state system, from Bledsoe County Correctional Complex to Northwest Correctional Complex, both Tennessee Department of Correction facilities, is significantly smoother than an interstate or county-to-state transfer in terms of how quickly privileges carry over. Because both facilities operate under the same TDOC system, your boyfriend's existing approvals, account information, and general status transfer with him rather than requiring the full orientation and intake process that a new system entry would trigger. Phone access in this situation...

Prison/jail is a scary place. The worst part is the boredom, not the violence. Every inmate wants to go home, but they know there is time to be served and the ones that can handle boredom the best, are the ones that survive. The magazines and books inmateAID has on the site are there for your convenience of ordering, but staying in touch with the outside world keeps them focused on what they'll do when released. Your son will need to follow some...