Blog Posts
Can You Say Double Jeopardy?
Unfair Laws For Sex Offenders - Florida
Characteristics of a Sex Offender
Craigslist Internet Stings Florida - Are they legal?
Unfair Laws For Sex Offenders - Florida
Characteristics of a Sex Offender
Craigslist Internet Stings Florida - Are they legal?
What to Expect When Your Loved One Goes to Prison
My goal is to share as much information with you as I go along. I am still very new to this and there are many rules and things to learn. It can be scary. Unless this has happened to you, you would never believe how frustrating and hard it can be.
Believe me it is quite a process. I am going to talk about what happens when the time comes when your loved one is actually starting to go through the system.
My loved one was on house arrest for the first 6 months while he went through the process of deciding to go to court or take a plea so he really did not go through the system from the very beginning.
After he decided to take a plea, he was given a sentence date where the judge would officially read him the charges and sentence. After he was done signing his life away they took him straight to jail. He started off in County Jail. The rules change from one place to another and it can be quite confusing. I believe that the County prison has air conditioning and TV. He was allowed to call me as long as there was money on his account to make the calls. The phone rules are different. If you need to know the phone rules of State Prison you can find that information here. While he was at County Prison he was able to call in between certain times but really as much as he wanted. You can write but when my loved one was in county the mail had to be a postcard. I did not write while he was there since we could talk on the phone. You can also visit your loved one at State Prison. The process is not as long as the process for visitation once they are transferred to a state facility. Your stay at County Jail can vary. It can be a couple of weeks or it can be a couple of months. It depends. What it is based on I really am not sure. I think it may have to do with availability of space in other locations.
After you go to County Jail you are then transferred to a Reception Center. This is where you will be evaluated and classified. At this point, writing is the only form of communication allowed. No visitation (though I have read on some sites that you can visit in Reception Centers if you are approved in time) and no phone calls. This part was hard. No communication and not knowing how they are doing can be quite scary. I am sure for both you and him. Again, your stay here depends. Some people who are not doing long term sentences may even stay where they are. This is also where they will be given a DC#. This is your loved ones ID number. It will come in handy. You use it to send money, to write, send packages etc. They get no warning or notice of when they are leaving and neither will do. I suggest that every morning you go onto the FDOC website and search for your loved ones name. This will give you the exact location of where they are. It is updated every night after midnight so as soon as they leave one place you will be able to know where they have gone. I also suggest that you start to write as soon as you find out his DC#. Even though you are not sure how long they will be at the Reception Center, the mail will follow them so they will get it. It takes a while for things to start flowing smoothly and the more you know that better it will be.
Do not think that they will automatically place your loved one in a facility that is close to you. It really depends on your classification and availability Many people are sent hours away to the other side of the state so be prepared for them being quite a distance away. Here are the rules for visitation.
Finally they are sent to their "permanent" place as I like to call it. Though it does not mean he will not get moved again at some point, he is now where he should be staying for a while. He has only been here for a couple of weeks now but here is what I know so far. Many Florida prisons have dorm style type rooms rather than cells. There are areas with cells but I guess you are placed according to your offense. The TV is no where as good as it was in County and there are not many channels. There is no AC in State Prison unless you are in private facility. The food is better than it is in County. Phone calls are permitted at certain times. You can send as many letters as you want. Visitation is on the weekends. You have to check with your facility because so far I have heard that in the facility where my boyfriend is the same person cannot visit both days. I have not yet been approved for visitation so I do not know what it is like yet.
Believe me it is quite a process. I am going to talk about what happens when the time comes when your loved one is actually starting to go through the system.
My loved one was on house arrest for the first 6 months while he went through the process of deciding to go to court or take a plea so he really did not go through the system from the very beginning.
After he decided to take a plea, he was given a sentence date where the judge would officially read him the charges and sentence. After he was done signing his life away they took him straight to jail. He started off in County Jail. The rules change from one place to another and it can be quite confusing. I believe that the County prison has air conditioning and TV. He was allowed to call me as long as there was money on his account to make the calls. The phone rules are different. If you need to know the phone rules of State Prison you can find that information here. While he was at County Prison he was able to call in between certain times but really as much as he wanted. You can write but when my loved one was in county the mail had to be a postcard. I did not write while he was there since we could talk on the phone. You can also visit your loved one at State Prison. The process is not as long as the process for visitation once they are transferred to a state facility. Your stay at County Jail can vary. It can be a couple of weeks or it can be a couple of months. It depends. What it is based on I really am not sure. I think it may have to do with availability of space in other locations.
After you go to County Jail you are then transferred to a Reception Center. This is where you will be evaluated and classified. At this point, writing is the only form of communication allowed. No visitation (though I have read on some sites that you can visit in Reception Centers if you are approved in time) and no phone calls. This part was hard. No communication and not knowing how they are doing can be quite scary. I am sure for both you and him. Again, your stay here depends. Some people who are not doing long term sentences may even stay where they are. This is also where they will be given a DC#. This is your loved ones ID number. It will come in handy. You use it to send money, to write, send packages etc. They get no warning or notice of when they are leaving and neither will do. I suggest that every morning you go onto the FDOC website and search for your loved ones name. This will give you the exact location of where they are. It is updated every night after midnight so as soon as they leave one place you will be able to know where they have gone. I also suggest that you start to write as soon as you find out his DC#. Even though you are not sure how long they will be at the Reception Center, the mail will follow them so they will get it. It takes a while for things to start flowing smoothly and the more you know that better it will be.
Do not think that they will automatically place your loved one in a facility that is close to you. It really depends on your classification and availability Many people are sent hours away to the other side of the state so be prepared for them being quite a distance away. Here are the rules for visitation.
Finally they are sent to their "permanent" place as I like to call it. Though it does not mean he will not get moved again at some point, he is now where he should be staying for a while. He has only been here for a couple of weeks now but here is what I know so far. Many Florida prisons have dorm style type rooms rather than cells. There are areas with cells but I guess you are placed according to your offense. The TV is no where as good as it was in County and there are not many channels. There is no AC in State Prison unless you are in private facility. The food is better than it is in County. Phone calls are permitted at certain times. You can send as many letters as you want. Visitation is on the weekends. You have to check with your facility because so far I have heard that in the facility where my boyfriend is the same person cannot visit both days. I have not yet been approved for visitation so I do not know what it is like yet.
Boredom is a big problem among inmates. They can get jobs at some facilities but still in prison you have nothing but time. You are allowed to send them a newspaper subscription, magazines and books. Here is some information right from the FDOC regarding sending books and reading materials to your loved one. You can purchase books at Amazon.
How does an inmate receive books, periodicals (magazines/newsletters), or other publications?
How does an inmate receive books, periodicals (magazines/newsletters), or other publications?
- The sending of publications to inmates is addressed in Administrative Rule 33-501.401, "Admissible Reading Material" F.A.C.
- Publications will be rejected if they include subject matter that:
- Depicts/describes construction or use of weapons, ammunition, bomb, chemical agents, incendiary devices.
- Depicts/encourages/describes methods of escape or contains blueprints, drawings, descriptions of facilities or maps that facilitate escape.
- Depicts/describes procedures for brewing alcoholic beverages or manufacture of drugs or other intoxicants.
- Is written in code.
- Depicts/encourages/describes activities leading to use of physical violence or group disruption.
- Encourages/instructs in the commission of criminal activity.
- Is dangerously inflammatory in that it advocates or encourages riot, insurrection, institutional disruption, or violation of department rules.
- Threatens physical harm, blackmail or extortion.
- Depicts sexual conduct as follows:
- actual or simulated sexual intercourse;
- sexual bestiality;
- masturbation;
- sadomasochistic abuse;
- actual contact with a person's unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or, if such person is a female, breast with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of either party;
- any act or conduct which constitutes sexual battery or simulates that sexual battery is being or will be committed.
- Depicts nudity or a lewd exhibition of genitals in such a way as to create the appearance of sexual conduct is imminent
- Display of contact or intended contact with a person's unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks or female breasts orally, digitally or by foreign object.
- Display of sexual organs in an aroused state.
- Contains criminal history, offender registration, or other personal information about another inmate or offender, which , in the hands of an inmate, presents a threat to the security, order or rehabilitative objectives of the correctional system or to the safety of any person;
- Contains an advertisement promoting any of the following where the advertisement is the focus of, rather than being incidental to, the publication or the advertising is prominent or prevalent throughout the publication.
- Three-way calling services;
- Pen pal services;
- The purchase of products or services with postage stamps; or
- Conducting a business or profession while incarcerated.
- Otherwise presents a threat to the security, order or rehabilitative objectives of the correctional system or the safety of any person.
- Depicts/describes construction or use of weapons, ammunition, bomb, chemical agents, incendiary devices.
- Finally, ensure you are familiar and comply with the requirements of 33-501.401 (16) through (24). Briefly they are:
- Inmates, except for those in Maximum Management, may subscribe to no more than one periodical which is printed and distributed more frequently than weekly and four other periodicals which are printed and distributed weekly or less frequently than weekly. Religious publications as defined in Rule 33-503.001, F.A.C., shall not be counted against these limits.
- Inmates shall be limited to no more than 2 single issues of a periodical which is printed and distributed more frequently than weekly and 8 single issues of periodicals which are printed and distributed weekly or less frequently than weekly.
- An inmate is not allowed to keep more than one copy of any volume, issue or edition of any book, periodical or other publication. (For example: may keep January and February 2003 issues, but not two copies of the January 2003 issue.)
- Inmate must be able to store the materials in his/her personal living area. If an inmate does not have space to store admissible reading material in his or her personal living area without creating a fire, safety, or sanitation hazard, the institution is authorized to not issue the items or to impound the items if previously issued until the inmate disposes of other personal property in order to create storage space for the publications
- Inmates, except those in disciplinary confinement, close management, and maximum management are limited to possession of 4 books.
- Inmates in disciplinary confinement -- scriptural and devotional reading materials that are in compliance with admissibility requirements;
- Inmates in maximum management -- possession limited to a bible, religious testament, or other reading material specifically related to the inmate’s faith only;
- Inmates in close management -- possession of 3 softcover books.
- Religious materials, law books (not in the institution's law library), and books received pursuant to an approved correspondence study course do not count against this limit.
- For security concerns, inmates at Florida State Prison Main Unit or in death row and close management status other institutions are not allowed to receive hard-bound books.
- Books, periodicals or other publications must be sent directly to an inmate from a publisher, mail order distributor, or bookstore. DO NOT attempt to send a package of any type to inmate -- it will be rejected.
- Books, periodicals or other publications forwarded to inmates must be sent through the United States Postal Service. Materials delivered by package delivery services, such as United Parcel Service (UPS), Fed Ex, etc., will be refused.
- Inmates may only receive and possess print media publications. Incoming publications published on non-print media or print media publications that include non-print media that are an integral part of the publication will be rejected and returned to the sender along with an explanation as to why the material is being rejected.
- Binders and covers.
- Metal bindings, other than staples are not allowed. Metal bindings include: paperclips, binder clips, and other metal fasteners. Staples are not allowed in the following types of housing units: death row, administrative or disciplinary confinement, close management, maximum management, and mental health in-patient housing including transitional care units, crisis stabilization units, and correctional mental health institutions.
- Spiral bindings are not allowed.
- Due to security concerns, inmates at Florida State Prison Main Unit or in death row or close management status in any institution are not allowed to receive hard-cover publications.
- Calendars.
- Quantity – limited to one per inmate;
- Size – limited to 12 inches by 12 inches or smaller (if multi-page, then 12 inches by 12 inches or smaller when closed, and no greater than 24 inches by 12 inches when opened);
- Medium – limited to paper;
- Can not have any audio or electronic components.
- Must be mailed direct from publishers, mail order distributors and bookstores.
- Calendars that contain inadmissible written or pictorial matter will be rejected and will not be issued to inmates.
- Blank journals and diaries.
- Quantity - see possession limits set forth in paragraph (16)(e);
- Size - limited to 9'' x 12'' or smaller;
- Medium - limited to paper;
- Can not have any audio or electronic components.
- Must be mailed direct from publishers, mail order distributors and bookstores.
- Blank journals and diaries that contain inadmissible written or pictorial matter will be rejected and will not issued to inmates.
- Inmates, except for those in Maximum Management, may subscribe to no more than one periodical which is printed and distributed more frequently than weekly and four other periodicals which are printed and distributed weekly or less frequently than weekly. Religious publications as defined in Rule 33-503.001, F.A.C., shall not be counted against these limits.
- For more information on Admissible Reading Materials, please contact [email protected].
Some words of advice: Even though you miss your loved one and expressing that is fine, remember he is going through a hard time and needs you for support. The more we know and the more we can help them the better. It is important to follow all the rules so things like visitation, writing and phones are not taken away from them. We cannot control what happens on the inside but we can do our best to not make the situation worse from the outside.
As I learn new things I will be sure to share them with you.
As I learn new things I will be sure to share them with you.
Disclaimer: Images throughout this blog and website are not owned by me. I acquired them on Google images.
I am not a lawyer or offering legal advice. Site is for informational purposes only.
I am not a lawyer or offering legal advice. Site is for informational purposes only.