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

Yes, I had a couple of pen pals who rode out my bid with me. One I met in the visiting room (she was visiting another inmate), where we had a physical attraction. That pen pal seemed more real to me, I made greater efforts to let myself be more open than the one who just started writing me (from a news account of my trial). Neither went beyond the intimate letters and occasional phone calls. They bought me magazines...

If another county has placed a detainer on your person, the release on the 28th will not be a release into the community. Instead of walking out the front door, he will transfer directly into the custody of the county that filed the detainer. A detainer is a formal legal hold placed by one jurisdiction requesting that another facility notify them before releasing an individual and hold them briefly so they can take custody. When that detainer is active on the...

Yes, the inmate profiles are set up by Users of the site. They can set up an inmate profile or use one that is already on the website. There are no restrictions, but one User cannot see if another User is connected to the inmate you are following. There are a lot of famous inmates doing time. Users like to reach out and write them or send them pictures or other things. Aaron Hernandez, before his death and OJ Simpson would receive...

There is no single word for it. Unbelievable is close. After 15 or more years inside, freedom does not land the way most people imagine it from the outside. It does not feel like flipping a switch. It is more like stepping off a ship after a very long voyage and realizing the ground is solid but your legs have forgotten what solid means. The first thing you notice is the volume of choices. What to eat, where to stand, when...

Yes, we have more than one person write. When you're locked up you have nothing but free time. To us, the more letters, the better. For calls, in federal inmates may only talk 300 minutes per month (400 minutes in Nov. and Dec.), state inmates can talk all day if they have the funds on their account. Many penpals will send money so that the inmate will call them. Some do, some don't We don't mean to play mind games, BUT, the...

Inmates do not have access to the internet and should not be able to access the InmateAid website. However, there are countless incidents where inmates are caught with smartphones that can indeed access the internet. InmateAid was created for the family and support groups of inmates. There are not many things you can do for an inmate, but InmateAid has everything that you can - it's all in one place and it keeps you organized, connected, confident that someone has...

First, the inmate is taken into custody by the correctional officers with handcuffs. They are transported or walked to the area called the Special Housing Unit (SHU), what others call "the hole", also known as solitary confinement. Once there they are stripped-searched and given new clothing to wear. This is a special uniform for SHU inmates, usually an orage jumpsuit with lightweight blue sneakers. They are then walked shackled to their cell. It is usually a one-man cell. There, there...