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

The "hole", also known as the SHU (special housing unit) is prison inside prison. The inmate is in a one or two man cell with zero access to the outside world except for two one-hour exercise periods where you are in a cage outside. It is strict, high security with 24/7 monitoring. Inamtes get three square meals per day and three showers per week, one 15-minute phone call per week and a very abbreviated commissary list. It is not the...

This is a very real problem and unfortunately a common one. Sex offender probation comes with strict housing rules that can make placement extremely difficult. The first and most important step is to work directly with his probation officer. They control what housing is approved, and they often know of options that are not easy to find on your own. Here are the main paths to explore: Probation officer guidance Have your nephew ask his probation officer for a list of approved residences or...

It depends on what the restriction is for and how the facility structures its disciplinary consequences. Not all restrictions are the same. An inmate can be restricted from specific privileges while others remain intact. Phone access is often one of the first things pulled when someone receives a disciplinary infraction, but it is not automatic in every case. A minor infraction might result in limited commissary access or loss of recreation time without touching phone privileges at all. When someone is placed...

Yes, inmates in the Special Housing Unit can make phone calls, but access is severely limited compared to the general population. The standard across most federal and state facilities is one 15-minute call per week. That is it. One window, 15 minutes, and if the call does not connect or gets cut short, that opportunity is gone until the following week. This applies broadly across the federal system and most state prison systems, though the specific rules can vary from one...

Yes, that is generally accurate. Inmates housed in the Special Housing Unit typically receive very limited phone access compared to the general population, and a single 15-minute call per week is the standard in both California state prisons and federal facilities. The SHU is designed to be restrictive by nature. It is used for disciplinary segregation, protective custody, or administrative holds, and nearly every privilege gets scaled back significantly while someone is housed there. Phone access is one of the first...

The SHU or Special Housing Unit is the area of segregation that has no time limit. Prison rules are set by and followed only by prison personnel and no other outside forces may weigh in. Inmates are not entitled to attorney representation or other rights afforded by regular citizens. When the BOP states "they are investigating", there nothing an inmate can do. They have to deal with the rigors of the SHU. Our advice is to send him a lot...

Yes, housing resources exist for people released on GPS monitoring, though availability varies significantly depending on the state, the jurisdiction, and the specific conditions of release. The most common landing spot for people released on GPS supervision is a halfway house or community corrections center. These facilities are specifically designed to bridge the gap between incarceration and independent living and they are set up to accommodate the supervision requirements that come with GPS monitoring. Staff at these facilities are familiar with...

Mail access is one of the privileges that generally survives a SHU placement, even when most other privileges get pulled. Inmates in the Special Housing Unit can typically both receive and send mail, though the process moves more slowly and with more scrutiny than in the general population. Incoming mail to a SHU inmate goes through the same mailroom screening process as any other incoming mail at the facility, but it may take longer to reach the inmate because delivery to...

When an inmate breaks the rules, the facility has a range of disciplinary tools at its disposal and the punishment handed down depends on the severity of the infraction and the inmate's prior disciplinary history. The most common privileges that get pulled include phone access, commissary, visitation, and recreation time. These are the four things inmates value most in their daily lives and facilities know that. Losing one or all of them for an extended period is a significant consequence that...

Two month sentence inmates are called "short-timers". The inmates they will do time with are not interested in fighting unless they feel disrespected. Disrespect can come in many forms but if the inmate keeps to themselves and doesn't create conflict, if they keep their mouth shut, their opinions to themselves nothing will happen. As easy as it is to stay out of conflict and just as easy to get into conflict. If he is telling you it is not that bad, he will...

The inmate information on this website is self-directed data meaning that the member/user creates and controls that information. We do not create inmate profiles nor do we monitor their accuracy. It is not uncommon for an inmate to be transferred after spending time in solitary confinement, also known as the SHU (special housing unit). This sounds like a method of operation of the federal prison system (BOP), if your inmate is in federal prison (or any other prison, we just...

In the federal system, “the hole” is called the Special Housing Unit (SHU), and the amount of time an inmate spends there after a fight can vary quite a bit. There is no true “average,” but here is a realistic range: Investigation phase: It is common for inmates to be placed in SHU for a week or two while staff review what happened. Your fiancé being there for 9 days so far fits within that normal window. After the hearing (if charged): If the Disciplinary Hearing Officer (DHO)...

Traveling from England to visit someone at Southport Correctional Facility in New York is a significant journey, and knowing what to expect before you arrive will make the experience much less stressful. Southport is a maximum security facility that houses inmates in special housing units. Visits there are non-contact, meaning you and your family member will be separated by a screen and communicate by phone during the visit. There is no physical contact during the visit. Before you travel, call the facility....

Traveling from England to visit someone at Auburn Correctional Facility is a significant commitment, and getting the details sorted before you board a plane is essential. Do not show up without confirming everything in advance. Do not wait until arrival to apply. New York State requires visitors to be pre-approved before any visit can take place. You cannot fill out an application on arrival and expect to visit the same day. The approval process involves a background check and can take...