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

This is a question that touches on an inconsistency that has actually shifted over time. For a period, Penthouse moved away from explicit nudity in its print edition, which is why it cleared the mailroom at facilities that ban pornographic material. Inmates could receive it because it no longer technically qualified as pornographic under the standards most facilities apply. That era has ended and Penthouse has returned to explicit content, which means it is now subject to the same restrictions as...

The release date showing on the Bureau of Prisons website is the real date, and it already has the math done for you. Unlike state systems where you have to calculate good time credit yourself, the BOP's inmate locator at bop.gov displays the projected release date after the standard 15% good time reduction has already been applied. What you see is what you get, assuming he maintains a clean disciplinary record from now until release. That last part matters. The 15% good...

There are a few explanations worth considering before drawing any conclusions. The most common reason for a name match with different details is that it is simply a different person. Common names produce multiple results across inmate databases, and without a unique identifier like an inmate number it is easy to pull up someone who shares a name but is an entirely different individual. That is the first thing to rule out. If you are confident it is the same person, a...

You are right, and the gap between what the system provides and what people actually need after a long sentence is significant. Twenty-six years inside means he came out into a world that looks almost nothing like the one he left. Technology alone is overwhelming for someone reintegrating after that length of time. Smartphones, social media, online banking, digital job applications, and the general pace of modern life are not intuitive for someone who has been cut off from all of...

Not being listed is not a problem and it does not mean the services are unavailable. You can create the inmate profile yourself directly in your InmateAid account. Inmates do not set up their own InmateAid accounts. The profiles are created and managed by the people on the outside who are supporting them. If your inmate does not already have a profile in the system, you just need to add them. The process is straightforward as long as you know where...

Before jumping to the worst conclusion, it is worth understanding what is actually driving the behavior, because it may not be what you think. Picking fights from inside is one of the more common and counterproductive things incarcerated people do to the people they love on the outside. It is rarely about what the fight is actually about. What it is almost always about is control and anxiety. Your husband cannot see you, cannot account for where you are or what...

Yes, and the availability is broader than most people expect going in. Virtually every correctional facility, whether county jail, state prison, or federal institution, offers some form of rehabilitative programming. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings are among the most consistently available programs across facility types. They are volunteer-driven, which means outside members come into the facility to run meetings, and they operate at a remarkably wide range of institutions including smaller county jails that do not have extensive in-house programming. Anger...

Conjugal visits, formally called extended family visits or family reunion programs depending on the state, have become increasingly rare. As of now only six states still allow them: California, Connecticut, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, and Washington. The federal prison system eliminated the program entirely and the vast majority of state systems have followed over the years. Even in the states where conjugal visits remain available, eligibility is not automatic. Inmates typically need to be legally married or in a registered...