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

The silence since November 13th is most likely the result of the transfer process itself rather than anything more concerning, and understanding what happens during that transition helps explain the gap. When an inmate transfers from a county jail to a state or federal facility, they go through an Admission and Orientation process before most privileges are reinstated. Phone access and visitation are typically suspended during that period while the facility processes the new arrival, assigns housing, completes medical and classification...

In most state and federal facilities, inmates have access to a system that lets them check their account balances without needing someone on the outside to tell them. At the federal level, the Trust Fund system allows inmates to check their account through the TRULINCS terminals available in many units. State systems typically have a similar kiosk or terminal setup where inmates can view their trust account balance, which includes phone funds depending on how the facility structures its accounts. That...

Something about this situation warrants a closer look before any money changes hands. Let's take the two requests separately. Transportation upon release is something most state and federal systems actually provide. Inmates are typically given a bus ticket, a gate card with a small amount of funds, and in some cases a ride to a transportation hub at no cost to them or their families. The idea that a paroling inmate needs family to fund their own bus ticket home is...

If he was arrested last Wednesday and sentenced today with credit for time served, the math works in his favor and release could come very quickly, possibly today or tomorrow depending on how the jail processes the paperwork. Here is how to think through the timeline. A 7-day sentence with credit for every day since last Wednesday means the time served calculation covers most or all of the sentence depending on what day today is. If today is Wednesday or later,...

California fire camp, formally known as the Conservation Camp Program, is one of the most sought-after assignments in the CDCR system and one of the few that comes with documented sentence reduction benefits on top of the standard good time credit every California inmate receives. Every CDCR inmate earns 15% good time credit automatically, assuming a clean disciplinary record. Fire camp participation generates additional credits beyond that baseline in many cases, which is why families consistently ask whether a fire camp...

SCI Camp Hill in the Pennsylvania State Prisons Systems - The prison phone provider for setting up prepaid accounts is SecurusTech. You may set up prepaid accounts online at Securus Website. All calls are $0.06 per minute - no matter where that number is to, all calls are the same price. The InmateAid Discount Telephone Service would not help make the calls any cheaper. All telephone numbers are the same rate so getting a line from us is not beneficial for any of the PA DOC state prisons. ...

Since you sent on November 12th which fell on a weekend, the letter would have gone out the following Monday. From that point the postal transit to the facility runs about 2 to 3 business days, putting arrival at the facility mailroom around Wednesday or Thursday of that week. What happens after the letter arrives at the facility depends on the specific protocols for death row mail. Death row housing operates under stricter controls than general population in virtually every state...

With seven days already served on a 10-day sentence, the end is genuinely around the corner, but early release on a sentence this short is unlikely for a few reasons. Good time credit calculations on sentences as short as 10 days vary significantly by jurisdiction. Some counties apply a standard reduction that would put release at around eight or nine days with good behavior. Others require the full term to be served on short sentences imposed as probation violation sanctions, particularly...

That Florida address is InmateAid's corporate address, and it appearing on your letter instead of your Tennessee address is by design, not an error. Privacy protection is one of the core features of the service. When InmateAid sends a letter on your behalf, your personal address never appears on the envelope. The return address is InmateAid's Florida location, which means anyone handling that envelope at the facility, including staff and other inmates, sees only the company's address. Your actual location stays...

A contraband cell phone in a North Carolina correctional facility is a serious infraction, and the consequences play out on two separate levels. At the federal level, the law is clear and significant. The Contraband Cell Phone Act makes it a federal crime to possess a wireless device in a federal prison, carrying up to five years of additional prison time. North Carolina state facilities operate under state law rather than federal jurisdiction in most cases, but the trend across the...