Life in prison can be extremely trying for those incarcerated. Stripped of their freedom and independence, they must adapt to an unfamiliar lifestyle with restrictions which soon become “natural”, becoming part of them as time goes on.
They receive letters from family and friends which play an essential part of their lives, as well as money in weekly payments directly into their private cash accounts.
Text Inmate Services
Inmate email services provide a quick and feature-packed way for inmates to communicate electronically. In addition to sending traditional emails, some services allow users to attach photos or create 30 second VideoGram messages as part of their correspondence. Prices for such services depend on which facility provides it but may be as little as 50 cents per email sent out.
These services enable those incarcerated to access and reply to messages, as well as potentially view or print their emails depending on the facility they’re housed at, while some also offer free chat rooms where loved ones can chat in real time with one another. Inmates may access these services using tablets provided by prison, while family and friends can utilize JPay on a computer to reach them directly.
These services do have their limitations; for instance, TRULINCS and Corrlinks both set limits on messages at 13,000 characters each; inmates can receive up to three in 24 hours and those counts against their limit even when an outside contact replies back via an earlier email in the chain.
Additionally, certain services impose rules regarding who may forward emails to other inmates. Although forwarding is technically legal, doing it outsider contacts could result in disciplinary incident reports being filed against them and can even lead to legal charges for forwarding email.
Two-Way Video Calling
Two-way video calls provide friends and family a convenient way to stay in contact with an inmate in prison. Once approved for this service, usually within moments, they will be online and you will receive notification that they have signed on. When using Prison Video or Purple Visits apps to stay online and wait for someone to call, all it takes is sitting tight!
Staff will always be present during calls to ensure all participants are complying with rules and respecting each other. Keep in mind that those incarcerated can often be under great stress, making their behavior during calls difficult to comprehend. Try keeping the tone of voice calm and respectful, refraining from making negative remarks about your own situation as this would likely upset them significantly.
Prison or detention center visitors will receive a PIN number and form that must be filled out with up to 20 approved contacts, such as legal numbers. Once this information has been filled out, prisoners may use their pin phone to place calls between certain times to any approved numbers during these authorised calls; furthermore they can access their prison voicemail system by dialling an existing landline number and leaving messages for those they have selected.
Three-Way Voice Calling
Three-way calls are a type of telephone conversation that allow three parties to share one line and communicate on it at the same time, for both free and paid calling services. To initiate one, the calling party depresses their hook switch momentarily which in turn triggers a click in the central office and allows them to speak with a third person; however current detection systems can sometimes allow false signals by masking call attempts with noise or by running programs to make calls appear legitimately.
Life in prison can rekindle negative emotional responses to earlier trauma for certain prisoners, particularly vulnerable, mentally-ill or developmentally-disabled inmates who struggled to maintain close contact with reality, regulate emotions or understand information or learning processes. They may also face significant adjustment issues while adapting to an unfamiliar social environment.
Family visits and phone calls provide inmates with meaningful ways to connect to the outside world in meaningful ways. Studies indicate that regular phone contact with family helps reduce recidivism rates. Furthermore, prisoner can schedule calls more easily than visits; phone calls can even be received anytime of the day!
Personal Letters
Letters from friends and family can provide hope, validation, and encouragement for those incarcerated. Letters also help keep minds busy with positive activities that support healthy coping mechanisms while setting them up for successful reentry into society.
Prisoners who don’t find an outlet to deal with the unnatural and abnormal conditions of prison may develop emotional flatness, self-loathing and alienation from themselves and others. Furthermore, they may develop an impenetrable prison mask which hinders genuine social interaction; ultimately they could lose all capacity for authentic social interaction altogether.
Your intentions when writing to a prison pen pal should always be evaluated carefully; writing must serve a constructive purpose that improves their morale and fosters hope, not make them feel guilty for being behind bars; this would be selfish of you to write and could potentially do more damage than good.
Note that prisoners have the right to privacy. Any information sent could potentially be used against you in court; make sure your envelope contains only legal messages with no prohibited items included and use Project Solidarity ID instead of your name when addressing the envelope as the return address. Also provide phone numbers so your correspondent can stay in touch with their loved ones while imprisoned.