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

Do not send them. Regardless of whether the charges are fully accurate or the situation is more complicated than the paperwork suggests, sending photos of children to someone housed on a charge involving minors is not going to end well for anyone involved. Here is the practical reality. Mailroom staff at every facility review incoming photos, and an inmate flagged for a child-related offense will have their mail scrutinized more carefully than most. Photos of children sent to that inmate will...

Not all of them, but enough that the question is one of the most common ones that lands in this archive. There are men inside who genuinely value their relationship and are faithful through their entire sentence. That is real and it happens. But incarceration creates conditions that test people in ways that are hard to predict, and not everyone passes that test. The honest answer is that you already know which category your man falls into better than anyone outside...

No, the money does not follow them automatically and it will not be waiting in an account at the new facility. Here is what actually happens. Before transport, or shortly after arrival at the new facility, the inmate will be asked to provide a mailing address where the remaining balance from their old account can be sent. That money gets issued as a check mailed to whoever they designate, typically a family member on the outside. It does not move electronically...

The number is there, it just may not be where you looked first. Here are the two places to check. The first is your MyAccount area on the InmateAid website. Log in and navigate to your account dashboard. The phone number assigned to your account is listed there and is accessible any time you need to reference it. The second place is your email inbox. An automated email with your number was sent at the time of signup. If you do not...

They are not being starved, but hungry is a real and fair description of how most inmates feel, and there is a specific reason for that. Jail and prison meals are required to meet a minimum nutritional standard of roughly 2,000 calories per day. That requirement is taken seriously because facilities face legal exposure if they fall below it. The food is not good; it is not meant to be, but it checks the nutritional box on paper. The problem is that...

Yes, and the process for doing it is more straightforward than most people expect. What you are looking for is called a special visit. Facilities have a formal mechanism for approving visitation outside of the standard scheduled days, and out of state travel is exactly the kind of circumstance that warrants one. Wardens and their staff deal with these requests regularly and understand that not everyone lives close enough to work around a Friday and Saturday only window. The right move is...

The honest answer is that it depends on several factors, but the charges themselves are on the lower end of the severity scale, which works in her favor. Possession of paraphernalia and disorderly conduct are misdemeanor-level offenses in most jurisdictions. For someone with little or no prior criminal history, a first appearance on charges like these often results in a fine, probation, a diversion program, or time served. Judges see these cases constantly and for first-time or low-history defendants, a hard...

Yes, and that is exactly how it is supposed to work. InmateAid does not replace IC Solutions. It never does. Whatever carrier holds the contract at your son's facility, whether that is IC Solutions, Securus, GTL, or any of the others, that carrier stays in place. Every call your son makes still runs through IC Solutions because they are the exclusive provider at that facility. That monopoly does not change. What InmateAid changes is the number your son dials to reach you....

No, and that access does not exist regardless of who deposited the money or how much was sent. Inmates retain privacy rights over their financial transactions inside the facility. The account belongs to them, and the spending history is not visible to outside parties, including spouses and family members who funded the account. There is no portal, no statement, and no way to pull up a transaction log from the outside. That said, it is worth putting your mind at ease about...