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

Not always automatically, and here is why. Different facilities use different phone carriers, and the rate structure that made your current InmateAid number the cheapest option at one facility may not apply the same way at the new location. A number that saves you money at one county jail might not be the optimal number for a different county's carrier. The good news is that this is completely handled for you at no additional charge. If your inmate gets transferred to...

The silence is painful, and it almost certainly has nothing to do with you. The early stretch of incarceration is one of the most emotionally turbulent periods a person can go through. The wave of emotions that hits when someone first gets locked up does not follow a predictable pattern. It moves through sadness, anger, shame, denial, and back again, sometimes all in the same day. Some people shut down entirely during that stretch because engaging with the people they love...

It is possible, but it is not guaranteed, and the first step is finding out whether the specific facility allows it at all. Not every jail or prison permits inmate marriages. Some facilities have a formal process in place and allow ceremonies to take place on site, typically in the visitation area, with a chaplain or approved outside officiant presiding. Others do not allow marriages during incarceration at all, full stop. There is no universal policy across the correctional system, which...

Your safety is the priority here, and knowing where he is gives you information that actually helps you stay ahead of the situation rather than being caught off guard. The starting point is VINELink at vinelink.com. VINE, which stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday, was built specifically for situations like yours. It is a free public tool that lets you search for an inmate's current custody status by name, and more importantly, it allows you to register for automatic notifications....

InmateAid works with every correctional facility in the United States including Tallahassee CRC, and your boyfriend does not need to do anything in advance to receive what you send. Here is exactly how it works. When you write a letter through InmateAid, it is not delivered as an email to your boyfriend. The letter gets printed on paper by InmateAid's processing facility and mailed through the US Postal Service to the prison just like any other piece of physical mail. Your...

Good time credit is one of the most misunderstood parts of the sentencing system, and the way it actually works surprises most families. In the federal system, good time is not something an inmate earns gradually through good behavior. It is granted upfront at the beginning of the sentence and can only go in one direction from there. The Bureau of Prisons applies a credit of up to 54 days per year of the sentence imposed, which works out to roughly...

The direct answer is that it happens in the broader prison system, but it is a serious federal crime and the consequences for the staff member are severe when it does. Under the Prison Rape Elimination Act, any sexual contact between a staff member and an inmate is classified as sexual abuse regardless of whether the inmate appears to consent. Consent is legally irrelevant in a custodial setting because the power imbalance between a corrections officer and an inmate makes genuine...

Yes, you can come to any of the Broward County jails with a photo ID. Visitors must have proper / current photo identification. (NO IDENTIFICATION - NO VISIT) Visitors must be on time. Visitors must abide by the dress code. Visitors may be subjected to a pat-down / frisk search and / or electronic search for the detection of contraband. Children must be accompanied by an adult and supervised at all times. Visitors cannot be on parole, probation, or work release without the prior written...

Yes, InmateAid's mail services are available for inmates at Garza County Jail in Texas, and that includes both letters and photos sent directly from your phone or computer. The process is straightforward. You upload the photos or write the letter through the InmateAid platform, and everything gets printed on quality stock and mailed out via USPS. Letters arrive at the facility within two to three business days and go through the standard mailroom inspection before being handed out at mail call....

The 85% requirement is still in effect in Mississippi and there is no straightforward way around it. Mississippi is one of the stricter states when it comes to truth-in-sentencing laws, and the 85% rule means exactly what it says. An inmate must serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before becoming eligible for release consideration. On a 35-year sentence, that works out to a minimum of 29.75 years served before any release is possible. There is no parole board...

From a practical legal standpoint, you do not need abandonment as a specific grounds to divorce someone who is incarcerated. In most states, no-fault divorce laws allow either spouse to end a marriage without having to prove wrongdoing, neglect, or abandonment by the other party. A judge is not going to stand in the way of someone who wants out of a marriage where their spouse has been incarcerated for a decade. The length of the sentence alone is generally...

Commissary access does not open up the moment someone walks through the door, and that applies to phone calls and visitation as well. Everything is on hold until orientation is complete. When an inmate arrives at a reception or evaluation center, the facility's first priority is processing, not comfort. That means medical screening, classification interviews, housing assignment, property inventory, and orientation to the rules and expectations of the institution. Until that process is finished, no privileges are extended. It is not...