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

The area called the SHU or Special Housing Unit is a high security area within a prison used for inmates who may pose a danger to others or be at risk if left in the general population. There is either Administrative Segregation or Disciplinary Segregation. Unfortunately the rules are the same for all inmates in the unit whether you're there awaiting a bed in the satellite camp, for your protection or if you got caught with a cellphone. All of...

The probation part is more the issue than a pending charge would be. Depending on the visitation approval process, we strongly urge you to check with the staff at the facility to make sure. If they run your information through NCIC, you will not be allowed visitation. You would then have to petition the warden for special permission. If that is going to be the end result, we would advise you to go straight to the warden before the screening....

Restricted Housing Unit (RHU) blocks are isolation cells where the movement and the privileges are severely restricted. The Unit is used for administrative segregation or disciplinary segregation - inmates remain in their one or two-man cells virtually 24 hours a day. When taken from the cell, the inmate remains completely shackled at all times. The inmate is limited to 3 days of a one-hour recreation time in an outdoor cage. Only three showers per week. The inmate is also restricted...

It feels frustrating because it is frustrating. The system is built that way on purpose. When someone is in jail or prison, all communication is controlled for security reasons. Facilities have to monitor who inmates talk to, what is being said, and how often. That is why everything goes through approved systems like phone providers, video visitation apps, mail, or messaging platforms. Here is why you cannot just talk to him directly: All calls must be monitored or recorded Numbers have to be approved...

Food varies based upon the type of institution or facility. The federal prisons have the best food on the national menu - the menu is the same everywhere. The food is similar to what you might find in a high school cafeteria. There are special meals for dietary and religious reasons. State prisons are similar to federal but less variety and taste. The county jails would be ranked at the lower end of the "tasty inmate food" chain as their...

The "hole", also known as the SHU (special housing unit) is prison inside prison. The inmate is in a one or two man cell with zero access to the outside world except for two one-hour exercise periods where you are in a cage outside. It is strict, high security with 24/7 monitoring. Inamtes get three square meals per day and three showers per week, one 15-minute phone call per week and a very abbreviated commissary list. It is not the...

Gift boxes are not permitted in any federal facility - all goods and sundries must be purchased through the institution's commissary. Visitation for you will be a challenge. The federal system requires potential visitors to register with an application that is processed through the NCIC database. If you come up as a felon in their search your visitation will be denied. If you petition the warden at FCI Ashland and thoroughly explain your situation, your crime and your incarceration -...