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

Administrative segregation refers to both a classification and a type of unit. There are at least three distinct types of segregation: administrative segregation, disciplinary segregation, and protective … Any of these types of segregation might involve a regimen of solitary (or near solitary) confinement. Administrative segregation (ad seg) is when an inmate is housed separately from the main prison population. In most prisons, ad seg is another term for solitary confinement. Typically, inmates get "put in the hole" if they violate prison rules,...

Yes, but the access is significantly reduced compared to general population. Inmates in disciplinary segregation, the SHU, or the hole at most facilities are limited to one 15-minute phone call per week. That is not a lot, and it requires some planning on both ends to make the most of it. Make sure your number is on his approved call list before he tries to use that one weekly call, because a failed attempt due to a registration issue is a...

Almost certainly yes, at least temporarily. Getting caught with tobacco in a facility where it is prohibited is treated as a contraband infraction, and work release is a privilege that gets pulled when an inmate demonstrates they are not following the rules. The whole premise of a work release program is that the facility trusts the inmate enough to send them outside the walls. A contraband write-up puts that trust directly in question. How long he stays in the hole is...

The short answer is not immediately, but not for long either. When an inmate first arrives at Arrendale State Prison's diagnostic unit, there is a processing and orientation period before most privileges kick in. Phone access typically opens up within about a week of arrival. That first week is intake, classification interviews, medical screening, and getting assigned to a housing unit. It is a busy and disorienting stretch for the inmate, and the facility runs on its own timeline during that...

No, and here is exactly why. When you go before a disciplinary hearing board, you are allowed to bring two people as defense witnesses. That sounds like an opportunity, and it is, but who you choose matters as much as what they say. Bringing another inmate into that room is almost always a mistake. The board is made up of staff, and staff view inmate testimony through a lens of suspicion that is hard to overcome regardless of what is actually said....

Yes, and the savings are specific enough to be worth knowing exactly. With an Arizona 480 area code number, a 15-minute call from ASPC Yuma-Cibola runs $3.19. That is the rate your inmate is currently paying every time they dial your number. With an InmateAid local number matched to the Yuma facility, that same 15-minute call drops to $1.72. That is $1.47 saved per call. It does not sound dramatic until you do the math across a month. If your inmate calls...

It might be on your end or on the inmate's end. If you were on a call and said something that caught the ear of a CO and reported you. If you attempted to add another person to the call while it was going (third-party calls are a no-no), that might do it. Or, the inmate is on some disciplinary period for violations inside. Regardless, you can call or write the warden and ask what specific rule was broken to...

Call the jail before you bring anything. That is the only advice that matters here, and it matters every single time, not just the first time. Trustee status gives an inmate more freedom of movement and sometimes more flexibility around approved items, but what is actually permitted varies significantly from facility to facility. Some jails allow outside food and drinks for trustees under specific conditions. Others prohibit it entirely regardless of status. The rules can also change without notice based on...

Yes, marriage is generally permitted in Georgia state prisons, including Rogers State Prison, but it is not as simple as filing a license and showing up. There is a process, and the facility has significant control over how and whether it happens. The starting point is the warden. Your fiancé needs to submit a formal request to the warden asking for permission to marry. That request will be reviewed and can be approved or denied based on some factors, including institutional...

Your son almost certainly has an inmate number already assigned, even though he just arrived yesterday. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction assigns identification numbers during the intake and booking process, which happens on arrival. The number may just not be showing up yet in the places you have been searching. The most reliable place to find it is the Ohio DRC offender search tool at appgateway.drc.ohio.gov/OffenderSearch. Search by his name and the results will show his inmate number, current...

The Florida Department of Corrections makes inmate information available to the public through their official offender search tool. You can look up your friend's record, current facility, and projected release date directly on their website. Use this link to search: http://www.dc.state.fl.us/OffenderSearch/Search.aspx You can search by name or DC number, which is the inmate's Florida DOC identification number. The results will show you their current custody status, the facility where they are housed, their offense information, and their tentative release date if one...

An RVR, or Rules Violation Report, is an internal disciplinary document generated when an inmate is found to have violated facility rules. It becomes part of the inmate's institutional record and is treated as protected information under federal and state privacy statutes. As a family member or partner on the outside, you have no legal right to access that record without the inmate's consent. The facility will not disclose disciplinary information to outside parties, and there is no public database or...

Yes, both are significantly restricted the moment someone goes into the SHU, and the limitations are more severe than most families expect going in. Phone access drops to one 15-minute call per week. That is it. Whatever frequency of calls you were used to before the hole is gone, replaced by a single weekly window that has to count for everything. Make sure your number is active and you are available when that call comes because there is no rescheduling it...