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

Alien smuggling is a federal offense prosecuted by the US Attorney's office, and the sentencing range varies significantly depending on the specific charges in the indictment and the circumstances surrounding the offense. The base federal statute for alien smuggling under 8 U.S.C. § 1324 carries up to five years per count for bringing undocumented individuals into the country. That number increases substantially if aggravating factors are present. If the smuggling resulted in serious bodily injury, if weapons were involved, or if...

The Bland Correctional Center is a male reception and classification facility. Its role is to intake offenders from the local jails and process them into the Department. It houses inmates classified to multiple levels of security. This is a state prison in the Virginia Department of Corrections, their statement on mail and visitation are as follows: The Department of Corrections encourages inmate correspondence that is directed to socially useful goals. Inmates shall be allowed to correspond with families, friends, attorneys, courts and...

A felony conviction does not automatically end the conversation, but it does mean the standard approval process will not work for you. The background check that every visitor goes through flags felony records, and a standard application will come back denied. The path that exists for your situation runs through the warden's office. A special visitation waiver can be requested, and wardens do grant them in circumstances where the applicant makes a compelling case. A 2014 conviction with completed probation and...

Jailing a person for child support delinquency is likely classified as a Contempt of Court charge. The "sentence" is a few weeks to shake the non-payer into paying. The time is related to the amount that is owed, for how long they've been past due and if there are mitigating circumstances behind either not paying or unable to pay.  The judge will normally release the offender once the outstanding balance is paid. If that is not possible, then some payment arrangement must...

Yes, and it is a good sign. What you are describing is exactly how the pre-release phase of work release programs is designed to work. When an inmate is close to their release date, the center gives them structured time outside to look for employment before they walk out permanently. This is typically supervised in the sense that they have to account for their time, check in at set intervals, and return by a designated time, but they move independently...

The combination of charges here is serious and the exposure is significant. Idaho treats these matters similarly to other states but the specific sentencing ranges reflect how seriously the law views violent offenses, particularly strangulation. Attempted strangulation is the charge that carries the most weight. In Idaho and across most of the country, strangulation has been elevated in recent years from a misdemeanor assault to a felony in its own right, specifically because research has established it as one of the...

You can stay in contact but you need to be careful about which methods you use and what information they require you to provide. Writing a letter is your safest option right now. Through InmateAid's letter service your personal address does not appear on the envelope, which provides a layer of privacy that direct mail does not. The letter reaches your husband without exposing your location to anyone processing the mail at the facility. Phone calls carry more risk depending on how...