Just thought of a question?

Have a question?

Ask The Inmate

Ask a former inmate questions at no charge. The inmate answering has spent considerable time in the federal prison system, state and county jails, and in a prison that was run by the private prison entity CCA.

Ask your question or browse previous questions in response to comments or further questions of members of the InmateAid community.

Subject: Send inmate money

Most facilities take MoneyGram. Click and check the list of facilities where MoneyGram is accepted. When searching, keep in mind that there are 200 federal facilities but the User goes to one place for all, "FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS (7932)" on their site. Same with state prison systems. For instance, one state system looks like this:  IOWA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS (6185). Find your inmate's facility and you'll be able to get money to them instantly.

Read more
Subject: Parole, probation & supervised release

Almost certainly not, and the circumstances make it even less likely than a standard transfer request would be. When a probation violation sentence is imposed, it is handed down by a specific judge in a specific jurisdiction, and that jurisdiction retains authority over the offender for the duration of the sentence. Louisiana sentenced them, Louisiana supervises the violation time, and Louisiana is where that time gets served. State systems are entirely separate from each other with different regulations, different

Read more
Subject: Send inmate mail

You will receive an email from us to let you know there is a letter in your account dashboard

Read more
Subject: General prison questions-terminology

Avenal State Prison (ASP) is the largest male-only prison in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) state prison system. The structures on ASP's 640 acres include 17 open dorm buildings, six 200-bed open dorm E-bed buildings, six converted gymnasiums, a 100-cell administrative segregation unit, and a 10-bed firehouse. It is a low-medium security or Level 2 prison with open dormitories with secure perimeter fences and armed coverage.  Inmate programs include Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics anonymous, SAP, auto body, metal fabrication, plumbing and electrical, PIA furniture, warehouse and

Read more
Subject: Inmate transfer

It is a good sign when an inmate's custody level is reduced. It means that the sentence is getting shorter and the inmate's behavior and programming has been exemplary. The system is saying they trust this person more than when they began their sentence. The inmate gets more freedom in the new setting, more privileges (and in prison, it means a lot). 

Read more
Subject: Relationship issues

There is no way to know without asking, and the only way to ask is to reach out. Five years is a long time in either direction. It is long enough for real hurt to have settled in, and it is also long enough for perspective to develop in ways that are hard to predict from the outside. People in long sentences do a lot of thinking, and that thinking does not always land where you might expect. Some

Read more
Subject: Release questions

Generally yes, particularly if there is a supervised release component to the sentence. When parole or probation is part of the release, the supervising jurisdiction is almost always the county where the conviction occurred. That is where the case originated, where the judge issued the sentence, and where the probation or parole office has jurisdiction over the case. Your inmate will typically be required to report to that county's supervision office and establish themselves there as the starting point

Read more
Subject: Inmateaid website questions

When your letter arrives at the facility it goes through the standard mailroom inspection and gets distributed to your inmate at mail call, the same as any other piece of physical mail. The envelope has InmateAid's return address on it, which is the address your inmate uses to write back. To respond, your inmate simply writes a letter by hand, addresses it to the InmateAid return address printed on the envelope you sent, adds a stamp, and drops it

Read more
Subject: Send inmate mail

They will either tell you with a return letter or a phone call. 

Read more
Subject: Visitation

It depends on what type of facility you are visiting. The security level varies, therefore the visitation varies. You might visit through Plexiglas or you might get to visit for hours on a picnic table. Where your inmate is matters.

Read more
Search Arrest Records