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

The highest prison wage in the prison is paid by a joint venture program. It is a private company that operates using inmate labor. Their wages are minimum wage with the payments going to three different places. The prisoner has to pay room and board, a share goes to a bank account to assist the inmate upon release from prison. As well as a portion of the prisoners pay check goes to a family member if desired and some to...

There is no legally mandated deadline for how quickly a parole officer has to act in this situation, and that is genuinely frustrating when someone is sitting past their release date with a job and housing on the line. POs carry large caseloads and are not always responsive, especially to family members calling from the outside. That said, there are steps worth taking. Calling the PO repeatedly and pushing hard can sometimes backfire and slow things down further, so be measured...

It is possible, but not reliable. Most facilities require the inmate ID number on all incoming mail to make sure it is delivered to the correct person. Without it, the mailroom has to rely only on the inmate’s name, which can create confusion. What can happen: The mailroom staff may figure out who it belongs to and deliver it Or they may return it to sender for missing required information In some cases, it may be held or delayed while they try to verify Why the ID number matters: Many inmates have similar or...

A lot is happening in this situation and breaking it down piece by piece gives the clearest picture of what to expect. DVI Tracy is a reception center, which means your husband is still being processed and classified before getting a permanent housing assignment. The mentions of Folsom or Corcoran are significant because both are high-security Level 4 facilities and that designation reflects the validated gang status and current SHU placement. In California, the term validated means the California Department of Corrections...

When someone is picked up by the FBI, they leave the county system and enter federal custody, which means they will no longer appear in the county jail's records. That explains why the facility is telling you he is not there even though the same location keeps coming up in searches. He has been moved and the databases have not caught up or are simply not showing his new location. Here is how to track him down. Search the federal BOP inmate...

Most do, but the answer is surprisingly inconsistent and some of the facilities without it are located in places where the heat is most brutal. Federal prisons generally have climate-controlled housing, though the quality and consistency of that cooling varies by the age of the facility and how well the systems are maintained. Newer federal facilities tend to be better equipped than older institutions, where aging infrastructure makes reliable cooling a daily challenge. State systems are where the inconsistency becomes most striking....

Yes, an inmate does not have to wait for a scheduled court date to request a bail reduction. There are ways to pursue it proactively through the court system without sitting on the calendar and hoping the next appearance comes quickly. The most direct path is filing a motion for bail reduction or bond modification through the court. This is typically done through an attorney who drafts and submits the motion to the judge handling the case. The motion lays out...

Immigration detention is a system that sits in its own category, separate from both criminal incarceration and the experience most people picture when they think of jail or prison. The people held in immigration detention have not necessarily been convicted of any crime. They are being held for civil immigration violations while their cases work through a separate legal process, and that distinction matters when understanding how they are supposed to be treated versus how they often actually are. On paper,...

Inmate jobs in jail and prison fall into two broad categories: facility maintenance work that keeps the institution running, and specialized positions that require more skill or trust. Facility maintenance is where most inmates start. Kitchen work, cleaning common areas and bathrooms, landscaping, laundry, and general upkeep are the jobs that everyone rotates through. They are not glamorous but they provide structure, get inmates out of their cells, and can count toward good behavior records. Specialized positions open up for inmates who...

If your inmate was moved after you sent the letter, there is a chance he may not receive it. Most facilities do not forward mail to another prison or yard. What usually happens is: The mail arrives at the original facility Staff see the inmate is no longer there The letter is returned to sender In some cases, mailroom staff may forward it, but that is not something you can rely on. The good news is: If the letter is returned, it can be resent to the correct facility...

In most state systems, inmates do not serve the full sentence if they earn and keep their good time credits. A common guideline is around 85% of the sentence, though this can vary depending on the state and the charge. For a 1 year sentence, that usually means: Roughly 10 to 10.5 months actually served The rest is reduced through good behavior credits Since this is his first time and the sentence is relatively short, he is in a better position to earn and keep those credits as...

Classification decisions are made by the state or federal department of corrections based on a combination of factors, and the profile you are describing creates a complicated picture. A child pornography conviction places someone in one of the most scrutinized categories in the correctional system. Sex offenders, particularly those with offenses involving children, are often housed separately from the general population for their own safety. The general population does not treat these charges neutrally, and facilities are well aware of the...

Getting married while a partner is incarcerated is more achievable than most people expect, and the chaplain is exactly the right person to start with. Most correctional facilities, including county facilities, have a chaplain or religious services coordinator on staff whose responsibilities include facilitating religious programming, counseling, and in many cases officiating or coordinating marriages for inmates. The most direct route is calling Luzerne County Correctional Facility and asking to speak with the chaplain or to be directed to the religious...

Whether a visit takes place in an open contact setting or through a glass partition with a phone is not a facility-wide policy that applies equally to every inmate. It is determined by the individual's custody level and housing assignment within the facility. Inmates at lower custody levels or in general population units are more commonly eligible for contact visits where you sit across a table in the same room. Inmates in higher custody classifications, administrative segregation, protective custody, or those...

Commissary schedules at county jails vary by pod, dorm, and day of the week, and they change more often than most facilities publicly post. The most reliable way to get the current schedule for a specific housing unit is to contact the facility directly. For Douglas County Jail in Georgia, you can reach the Canteen department at the Douglas County Sheriff's Office by calling 770-920-4972, Monday through Friday during business hours. They handle commissary purchases, deposits, and any questions about schedules...