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

The Leblanc Unit in Beaumont, Texas is a TDCJ facility that houses inmates participating in various treatment and rehabilitation programs as a condition of parole. Being paroled pending program completion is a structured arrangement that essentially means parole is granted but not fully activated until the inmate successfully finishes the assigned programming. Program lengths at TDCJ facilities generally fall into three standard durations depending on the type of program. Shorter programs run approximately three months and tend to cover more focused...

The honest answer is yes, and the people who come out of the experience having underestimated it are far more common than those who found it easier than expected. Jail is designed to be a consequence, and it functions that way in ways both obvious and subtle. The most obvious element is the loss of freedom. The ability to go where you want, when you want, eat what you choose, sleep when you are tired, and make basic decisions about your...

This combination of factors, a third felony, a parole violation, and new drug charges, stacks up in a way that creates serious sentencing exposure. There is no single number that applies because the outcome depends on the jurisdiction, the specific charges, the nature of the prior felonies, and how the judge weighs all of it at sentencing. The parole violation alone brings back the suspended portion of the previous sentence. Whatever time was hanging over the individual when they were released...

Twenty years of clean living after a felony conviction is exactly the kind of track record that pardon boards and expungement statutes are designed to recognize. The fact that you have stayed out of trouble since completing the sentence is the single most important factor in any application for relief, and you have it in abundance. The three main pathways worth exploring are expungement, record sealing, and a governor's pardon, and which of those is available depends on your state and...

Call the facility and talk to the counselor, they are regular people. Tell them your concern and ask for their input before either of you make a decision. As for the attorney, let it be known that this inmate thinks attorneys are cowardly liars and hardly any know what the %#&$ is up after the sentence is imposed. Don't pay them another penny. If he has a 24 month sentence (he mightbe looking at 85% of that), this program might...

Every inmate does their time differently. If he is staying silent now it is probably his defense mechanism. You are probably going to have to give him some time. Whatever happened that caused his incarceration, he is going through some emotional swings especially if this is recent. He will go through several stages before he is able to actually confront his demons. He might be blaming you (not your fault, don't let this upset you), but it is more likely a...