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

Nevada Southern Detention Center is a CCA facility which means it is privately run. I've been in a CCA prison in Tennessee which could not have been more strict. The CCA staff follows the rules to the letter. In my opinion, when the guards stick to the rules (on the strict side) there are a lot less problems. The inmates take the position that it's not worth going to the SHU because there are no second chances to avoid punishment....

The outcome depends on two things more than anything else: what the violation actually was and how the sentencing judge responds to it. Probation violations range widely in severity. Missing a check-in appointment is treated very differently from a new arrest or a failed drug test. A technical violation with no new criminal conduct gives the judge more flexibility to be lenient. A violation involving new criminal behavior is a much harder conversation in the courtroom. For a first-time violation with no...

I was actually at the West Tennessee Detention Center in Mason TN near Memphis for three months, the visitation is in a room with tables and chairs, a platform for a single guard and some vending machines. We were able to hug and kiss upon arrival and departure. We held hands under the table the entire visit. The visitors go through a very vigorous and intrusive "pat down". They are carefully looking for people trying to smuggle in contraband.  They allowed...

The transition from county jail to prison involves an orientation period that covers everything the facility expects from incoming inmates before any privileges open up. When your person arrives, they go through intake processing first. That means surrendering their property, getting issued facility clothing and basic supplies, undergoing a medical screening, and receiving a psychological evaluation. Classification interviews follow, where staff assess security level, programming needs, and appropriate housing assignment based on the nature of the offense, sentence length, and institutional...

Inmates do not have access to the Internet. There are some facilities that now have an email service that is closed from the Internett. However, the emails cost the inmate to read and write. Even though inmates do not have online access, and therefore no Facebook, but we know for certain that inmates get ahold of smartphones and can create and maintain FB accounts. Not smart, but they figure they are in prison anyway, why not break more rules. We...

Every single day counts, and that applies from the very first day of custody regardless of where that custody takes place. In Missouri, as in virtually every other state, time served in county jail while awaiting arraignment, trial, or sentencing is credited against whatever sentence the judge ultimately imposes. The clock starts the moment someone is booked and does not stop regardless of which facility is holding them. County jail, city jail, a holding facility, it all counts the same way...

Santa Cruz unit at Perryville operates as a medium security facility and still uses cells rather than the open dormitory setup you find at minimum security units like San Carlos. The distinction matters in terms of daily life. Medium security means one to two-person cells with controlled movement throughout the facility. Inmates do not move freely between areas without authorization, and the environment is more structured and restricted than what minimum security offers. San Carlos by contrast, is minimum security, which means...

Ten years is a long time and a lot can change in both directions, so confirming your status before showing up is the smart move. Visitation approvals do not necessarily expire on a fixed schedule, but a decade of inactivity creates enough uncertainty that walking in cold without checking first is a risk not worth taking. Facilities update their systems, policies change, and approved visitor lists get audited periodically. An approval from ten years ago may still be active in the...