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

It depends on what the restriction is for and how the facility structures its disciplinary consequences. Not all restrictions are the same. An inmate can be restricted from specific privileges while others remain intact. Phone access is often one of the first things pulled when someone receives a disciplinary infraction, but it is not automatic in every case. A minor infraction might result in limited commissary access or loss of recreation time without touching phone privileges at all. When someone is placed...

The Northern Reception and Classification Center (NRC) functions as the major adult male intake and processing unit for the entire state of Illinois. There are some visitation stipulations placed on inmates that have not gone through the entire protocol before being granted visitation privileges. It does appear to be an abnormally long time, maybe try calling the facility and asking to speak with the chaplain. Explain yourself *with humility* (they are still employees of the prison) and see if they...

The county jail food is considered the worst of the three. Their budgets are smaller, the inmates are not typically there for long periods of time and that translates into a more narrow selection of menu options. State and federal inmate meals are overseen by a registered nutritionist and meets dietary standards but might not meed flavor standards. Federal has a national menu that is available for anyone to see - it is by far the best of the three....

Our advice would be to speak with the chaplain first. Get a feel for the situation there, although the chaplain is an employee they usually have a level of empathy. If you find that the chaplain is helpful, then their advice should be followed. If you feel that the chaplain is not really listening, then you should take it to the next level and ask to speak to the warden. It is our experience that unless there is a mountain...

The highest prison wage in the prison is paid by a joint venture program. It is a private company that operates using inmate labor. Their wages are minimum wage with the payments going to three different places. The prisoner has to pay room and board, a share goes to a bank account to assist the inmate upon release from prison. As well as a portion of the prisoners pay check goes to a family member if desired and some to...

Yes, inmates make millions of license plates each year. Here are some other products and services that inmates are placing into the public sector. 1. BOOKS FOR THE BLIND There are 36 prison Braille-writing programs in the United States. Through the American Printing House for the Blind, offenders help write K-12 textbooks for blind students. In Missouri, the Center for Braille and Narration Production employs 102 convicts, many whom are certified through the Library of Congress. They transcribe anything, from novels to...