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

You might find that attitude in any walk of life. The cashier at Walmart, the nurse at your doctor's office or the deli man at the grocery could all have "a bad day". For you to think that YOU need to kiss their ass is an indictment on your attitude. WAKE UP, this isn't a hotel or restaurant. The guards are not social workers, they are paid to oversee prisoners, not patrons. YOU follow their rules without arrogance or don't...

The specific conditions are not handed to you in advance. They are delivered at the initial supervision interview, which happens immediately after release with the probation agent assigned to the case. That first meeting is not optional and sets the foundation for everything that follows. At that interview the probation agent walks through every condition of supervision individually and the probationer signs off acknowledging they understand each one. From that point forward, those conditions are the rulebook, and violating any of...

Yes, mail continues to reach inmates in disciplinary custody. That channel stays open even when almost everything else gets restricted, which makes letters and postcards the most reliable way to stay connected during this stretch. Phone access drops sharply once someone goes into the SHU. The standard limitation is one 15-minute call per week, and depending on the severity of the infraction it could be less than that or suspended entirely for a period. Commissary choices also get reduced, typically to...

There is no fixed timeline, and that uncertainty is part of what makes privilege revocation one of the more psychologically difficult punishments in the system. The length of the revocation is entirely at the discretion of the facility, driven by two things: the severity of what the inmate did and how the inmate handled the aftermath. Contrite, cooperative, and quiet gets you out faster. Defensive, argumentative, or caught in additional violations while already on restriction makes it significantly worse. For minor infractions,...

The direct answer is that it happens in the broader prison system, but it is a serious federal crime and the consequences for the staff member are severe when it does. Under the Prison Rape Elimination Act, any sexual contact between a staff member and an inmate is classified as sexual abuse regardless of whether the inmate appears to consent. Consent is legally irrelevant in a custodial setting because the power imbalance between a corrections officer and an inmate makes genuine...

Yes, you can come to any of the Broward County jails with a photo ID. Visitors must have proper / current photo identification. (NO IDENTIFICATION - NO VISIT) Visitors must be on time. Visitors must abide by the dress code. Visitors may be subjected to a pat-down / frisk search and / or electronic search for the detection of contraband. Children must be accompanied by an adult and supervised at all times. Visitors cannot be on parole, probation, or work release without the prior written...

The 85% requirement is still in effect in Mississippi and there is no straightforward way around it. Mississippi is one of the stricter states when it comes to truth-in-sentencing laws, and the 85% rule means exactly what it says. An inmate must serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before becoming eligible for release consideration. On a 35-year sentence, that works out to a minimum of 29.75 years served before any release is possible. There is no parole board...

The good news is that Hepatitis C is a diagnosable and now highly treatable condition, and correctional facilities are required to provide medical care to inmates. The legal standard is that denial of necessary medical treatment constitutes cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment, which means facilities cannot simply ignore a diagnosed condition. Virginia Department of Corrections facilities test incoming inmates for communicable diseases including HIV and Hepatitis C as part of the standard intake process. Once a diagnosis is...

Getting the full story from the outside is genuinely difficult, and your suspicion that you are not getting the complete picture is not unreasonable. Inmates often soften or omit details about disciplinary situations to avoid worry, judgment, or difficult conversations with the people they love. There are two distinct reasons someone ends up in the hole, and understanding which one applies changes everything. Administrative Segregation is not necessarily disciplinary. It can be used when there is a credible threat to the inmate's...

Yes, he should be able to keep the tablet. Since he is moving within the same Florida Department of Corrections system rather than crossing into a different corrections network, the tablet he purchased through JPay travels with him as his personal property. DOC facilities operate under the same umbrella, which means the tablet and the JPay account associated with it remain valid at the new facility. That said, there can be a gap in access immediately after a transfer. New arrivals...

The time he already spent in county counts. Every day from his August arrest date forward is credited toward his sentence, so he walked into Oakdale and then Newton with those months already on the board. Iowa operates under a determinate sentencing structure with good time provisions. For most felony sentences, Iowa inmates are eligible to earn good time credits that can reduce the actual time served. The standard in Iowa is that inmates can earn up to 1.2 days of...

With a release date two weeks out, you are actually in a stronger position to get a special visit approved than you might expect. Special visits are entirely at the warden's discretion, but wardens are human beings who understand that a family coming to see someone who is about to come home after 15 years and 8 months is not a frivolous request. The proximity to release date works in your favor because it gives the warden an easy rationale to...

Almost certainly not, and here is the honest read on what is likely happening. Every accredited correctional facility in the United States is required to provide inmates with basic hygiene items. Soap, toothpaste, and similar essentials are not optional amenities. They are baseline requirements under correctional standards, and facilities that fail to provide them face serious legal exposure. Maryland Correctional Training Center in Hagerstown is a state facility operating under Maryland DOC oversight, which means it is subject to those standards...

Eligibility for a specific facility like Crossroads is not something anyone on the outside can determine in advance, and it is not something the court decides either. Facility designation is entirely the responsibility of the Indiana Department of Corrections, and they make that call based on a classification assessment after sentencing. The classification process weighs several factors simultaneously. Criminal history is one of the most significant, and the fact that this is his first incarceration works in his favor. The level...