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

You do not need to remove sewn-in hair extensions or weaves to visit a correctional facility. Permanently attached hair additions are not something facilities require visitors to remove before entry. What you should be aware of is that corrections officers conducting entry searches have the authority to inspect hair thoroughly, including running their hands through extensions or along the scalp, if they have reason to believe contraband could be concealed. This is not routine for every visitor, but it is within...

All inmates have to have a job. The prisons work like a little community where the inmates work to make the operation and living conditions civilized. The prisons pay the most nominal of wages. For instance, the federal system has a pay scale commiserate with the type of work and the length of time in their job. Pay starts at $0.12/hour and tops out at $0.40/hour. They are paid monthly and it is deposited into the Inmate Trust Account for use at commissary, telephone or Corrlinks email...

You should definitively call the facility first to see if they offer "special visits". Many times, the long distance visitors are granted longer visits if they set them up prior to arrival. Here are some general rules to follow and keep in mind before your visit. Dress Code Wear clothing that is appropriate for a large gathering of men, women, and young children. Wearing inappropriate clothing (such as provocative or revealing clothes) may result in your being denied visitation. Visiting...

The facility notifies the inmate when a visitation application is approved, not the visitor. That means your family member will know you have been approved before you do, and it is their responsibility to pass that information along to you. If you have not heard anything after submitting an application, there are two ways to find out your status. The fastest is to ask your family member directly during a call or through a letter. They can check with their housing...

Once an inmate is removed from a drug program due to a disciplinary issue, getting back into the same program is generally not an option. The program is designed around accountability and personal responsibility, and being removed for misconduct disqualifies most participants from re-enrollment. That opportunity is gone. However, that does not mean all programming options are closed. MTC in Baltimore, as a privately operated facility, typically offers its own set of programs and classes that are separate from what was...

Being transferred to a higher security facility for disciplinary reasons does not automatically add time to a sentence. The length of the sentence itself is set by the court and can only be changed by the court. A facility transfer, even one resulting from misconduct, does not extend the original sentence on its own. What can change is the amount of time actually served within that sentence. Here is how. Good time credits are at risk. If the incident that triggered the...

Rockdale County Jail in Conyers, Georgia offers contact visitation, meaning you will be in the same room as your boyfriend rather than separated by glass. Visits run approximately 20 minutes, and correctional officers are present in the visitation area throughout. Physical contact is limited. A brief hug at the beginning and end of the visit is generally permitted. Extended physical contact or anything beyond that is not allowed with staff present, and any behavior that draws attention from the officers will...

Visiting someone in a Residential Substance Abuse Treatment program while you are on probation is more complicated than a standard prison visit, and approval is unlikely without specific circumstances working in your favor. RSAT facilities have their own visitation rules that are often stricter than general population prisons because the program environment is structured around recovery and rehabilitation. Visitors who may introduce negative influences or who have their own active criminal justice supervision are viewed with additional scrutiny by program staff. Being...

Special visitation is an extended or non-standard visit granted by a facility under specific circumstances that fall outside the normal visiting schedule. The most common reason a special visit is granted is distance. If a family member is traveling from out of state or a significant distance to visit an inmate, most facilities will consider allowing additional visiting time or a visit outside the regular scheduled hours to accommodate the travel involved. Special visitations are not automatic. They must be requested...

The box, also called the hole, SHU, or solitary confinement, has no fixed release timeline. How long someone stays there depends almost entirely on why they were placed there in the first place. There are two main types of segregation and they work differently. Disciplinary segregation is punishment for a specific rule violation. The length of time is determined by the disciplinary hearing process and is tied to the severity of the infraction. Minor violations might result in a few days to...

Visitation length varies by facility and can also change from day to day depending on how many visitors show up. There is no single standard that applies everywhere. At most facilities, a scheduled visit runs somewhere between one and two hours under normal conditions. Some facilities allow longer visits, up to three or four hours, particularly for family members who have traveled a significant distance or when the facility has the space and staffing to accommodate extended time. Others cap visits...

Being held pretrial, meaning waiting for a court date rather than serving a sentence, does not automatically disqualify someone from receiving visitors. Most county jails and detention facilities allow visitation for pretrial inmates under the same general framework they use for sentenced inmates, with the approval process being the main hurdle to clear first. The verification process typically involves submitting a visitation application with your identifying information, which the facility uses to run a background check and confirm there are no...