Category: Prison Rules

Ever since I was incarcerated for nearly four years for a marijuana charge, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people conflate the words “jail” and “prison.” Yes, they are both legal confinement facilities, but there is a big difference between a jail and a prison. I’m not sure why using the two words… Continue reading Jail vs Prison – What’s The Difference?

Once someone gets sucked into the judicial system and prison system, it can be extremely difficult to get out of it. We have a dangerously high recidivism rate in America, which is the percentage of inmates who return to prison after being released. When someone is released from prison, the rules we have set up… Continue reading Why Inmates Return To Prison

As I write this blog post, people around the world are under shelter-in-place orders or on full lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Officials at jails and prisons all over the United States are trying to figure out what they can do to help stop the spread of the virus. Many have decided to release… Continue reading Why Would an Inmate be on Lockdown?

Whenever you are preparing to visit a prison inmate for the first time, there are definitely things you need to know. If you don’t arrive at the prison fully prepared, it could result in the prison staff denying your visit. And, since most people have to travel to visit their incarcerated loved one, you definitely… Continue reading Visiting an Inmate For The First Time – 10 Things to Know

In the United States, citizens are protected from illegal search and seizures thanks to the 4th amendment of the Constitution. Unfortunately, those protections aren’t as strong as they once were because of laws like The Patriot Act, but that is a subject for another day. When you go to prison, you lose all of your… Continue reading How Often do Prison Guards Search Inmates Cells?

The official visitation policy from every state’s Department of Corrections and the federal Bureau of Prisons will likely tell you that regularly visiting your inmate is an important part of the rehabilitation process. However, when a prison allows visitors to come into the facility and have direct contact with the inmates, it presents a huge… Continue reading Why Would an Inmate Lose Visitation?

In the words of the great poet Puff Daddy, it’s all about the Benjamins. I didn’t share that lyric with you just to prove my amazing knowledge of 90s rap songs, but it’s because today’s blog post is all about money. When someone goes to prison, it’s easy for someone on the outside to think… Continue reading Why do Inmates Get Paid?

When you have a loved one locked up in the county jail, visiting them is extremely important. The days crawl by at a snail’s pace when you are sitting in a jail cell, so it’s nice to mix things up and do something different for an hour each week.  But, it’s about more than getting… Continue reading Can I Visit Someone in Jail if my ID is Expired?

In my prison experience, inmates are not seen as people by the criminal justice system, the prison system, or the prison administration and staff. It seems like when a person is convicted of a crime — no matter if it’s something financial, like failing to pay child support or something as heinous as first degree… Continue reading Can You Get Kosher Food In Prison?

You might be surprised to find out that there is quite the process behind which prison an inmate is housed in after they are sentenced. They don’t just put you anywhere they have an available bed.  Instead, there is a process called “Receiving & Orientation” or “Classification” where an inmate is evaluated when they are… Continue reading How to Get an Inmate Transferred