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

Yes, but it is limited to two brief moments during the visit. You are allowed one hug and kiss when you arrive and one hug and kiss when you leave. That is the extent of physical contact permitted during visitation at Jefferson County. During the visit itself there is no contact between visitors and inmates. You will be seated across from each other and expected to keep that separation for the duration of the visit. Any physical contact beyond the arrival...

The SHU, the hole, solitary confinement, they are all the same thing, and being placed there does not cut off contact with family entirely. Mail continues normally in both directions. He can send and receive letters on the same schedule as general population. Phone access is restricted though, typically down to one 15-minute call per week. Visitation depends on what he did to land there. Some offenses allow visits to continue, others result in visitation being suspended for the duration....

The visitation structure is based on the facility and it's custody level. The higher the security level, the more restrictive visitation is. For instance the highest security level of custody does not allow contact visits, the communication is conducted face-to-face through Plexiglas cubicles on recorded telephones. Medium and low security have visitation where the inmates and the visitor sit at a table across from each other - but very limited contact. Minimum security is very liberal where you can sit...

Technically no. Officially, yes, it happens anyway. The rules are clear on paper. Inmates have a legal property interest in their personal belongings, including letters, cards, photos, and commissary items they have purchased. Correctional officers and facility staff are not supposed to destroy or dispose of inmate property arbitrarily. Most facilities have written policies governing how property is handled, inventoried, stored, and transferred when an inmate moves between housing units or facilities. The reality inside does not always match the policy. Officers...

Jewelry and piercings are generally permitted during visitation as long as they do not set off the metal detector or create a concern for staff during the security screening process. Permanent or fixed piercings that cannot be removed are understood to be part of the visitor's person and are not typically a barrier to entry on their own. That said, facilities vary in how strictly they apply jewelry rules, and some have specific policies about the amount or type of jewelry...

Yes, and having a physical limitation does not excuse an inmate from the work assignment system entirely. Correctional facilities do a reasonable job of matching inmates to jobs that fit their physical capabilities rather than simply leaving people with health issues unassigned. For someone who cannot walk properly or has significant mobility limitations, the facility's medical and classification staff document those restrictions and use them to determine appropriate placement. There are plenty of jobs inside that do not require physical labor...

Most facilities require visitors under 18 to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian during the visit itself, regardless of whether the minor has been individually approved on the visitation list. Being on the approved list and being allowed through the door alone are two different things. So yes, in most cases your parent would need to be present with you during the visit, and they would need to be on the approved list as well, which means submitting...