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

If you are currently on probation and wish to visit or receive phone calls from an inmate housed in the ADC Grimes Unit, you’ll need to obtain specific documentation and permissions from your probation officer to include with your application. Here’s what you generally need and the steps to follow: 1. Obtain Written Permission from Your Probation Officer: Approval Letter: You will need an official letter from your probation officer granting you permission to have contact with the inmate. This letter should...

Visitation Eligibility: Immediate family members (parents, siblings, spouse, children), extended relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, cousins), and a maximum of 10 friends or associates are allowed to visit inmates.  Process for Adding Visitors: In federal prison, inmates compile a "visiting list" by sending visiting applications to individuals they wish to visit. Once completed, the potential visitor fills out the application and returns it to the facility. The inmate is informed upon approval of their visitor, and it is their responsibility to...

The process for scheduling and conducting a prison visit varies by facility, but there are common steps, identification requirements, and clothing restrictions across most correctional institutions. Additionally, whether the visit is contact, non-contact (through glass), or by video will depend on the facility’s policies, the inmate's security level, and the rules in place. Here’s a comprehensive guide: 1. Scheduling a Prison Visit A. Pre-Approval Process: Visitor Application: Most facilities require you to complete a visitor application form, which includes providing your personal information,...

Yes, it is standard practice for a state department of corrections to place all facilities on lockdown when an escape occurs, not just the facility the person escaped from. The reasoning is straightforward. Until authorities know exactly how the escape happened, whether anyone on the inside helped facilitate it, and whether there are any broader security vulnerabilities, the safest posture is to lock everything down system wide while the investigation and manhunt run simultaneously. A system wide lockdown means normal operations...

No. Being on the approved visitation list is a requirement at Oklahoma Department of Corrections facilities, regardless of the day. Holidays do not create an exception to that rule. If your name has not been submitted, approved, and cleared through the facility's background check process, you will not be allowed in. The approved visitor list exists for security reasons and applies consistently. Some facilities are even more restrictive around holidays due to higher visitor volume and tighter staffing. Showing up without...

Getting caught with either a cell phone or drugs inside a facility sets off an immediate response. The inmate gets taken into custody on the spot, handcuffed, and escorted directly to the Special Housing Unit, which is also called the SHU, the hole, or solitary confinement depending on the facility. They stay there until a Disciplinary Hearing is held to determine what the formal punishment will be. The consequences from that hearing are serious. A lengthy SHU stay is typical, often...

The typical path after extradition back to the originating state runs through the county jail first before any transfer to state prison occurs. When someone is extradited back to Kentucky from Pennsylvania they will almost certainly be transported to the county jail in the jurisdiction where their original case was handled. That is where the parole revocation hearing takes place before a judge or parole board. Until that hearing is complete and a formal decision is made on the violation the...

Yes, and InmateAid is built exactly for this situation. You write the letter online through the InmateAid website, upload any photos you want to include, and InmateAid handles all the printing and mailing from their office in Florida. Because the office is already in Florida, the letter typically reaches the facility within one day of being sent, far faster than anything mailed internationally from the UK. This means you never have to worry about international postage, customs delays, or the logistics...