Your loved one may be detained in the following:
- A county jail
- A federal prison (bop.gov)
- A state correctional prison
- An immigration detention center (ice.gov)
People who are on remand or serving short sentences are usually detained in county jails.
People who are awaiting trial for or been convicted of federal offences are generally detained in federal prisons. Federal offences are those that involve several states, occur on federal property (like a government building) or is against the government. Acts of terrorism are federal offences and crimes that deliberately cause harm or include aggravating factors may also be charged in a federal court.
The majority of people in prison in the US are in state prisons and they have broken the law of a state. Most offences are state crimes.
Keeping in contact
Letters
It is important to include your family member’s full name and their assigned prison number. It is especially important to check in advance for rules about sending letters; some prisons, for example, do not accept letters on coloured paper.
The address for correspondence could also be different to the geographical or street address, as some prisons use a PO Box or a central sorting address. Some prisons don’t accept any kind of labels or stickers, including stamps. If this is the case, you can get your letter franked at the post office. If you can, check the prison website before sending anything or speak to your ICPO caseworker.
There are a number of different services operating across the United States. JPAY (www.jpay.com), Corrlinks(www.corrlinks.com) and Connect Network (www.connectnetwork.com) are some of the providers that facilitate email contact (as well as video calls and money transfers) but it will depend on the prison and the state your family member is detained in. Consult their websites for a list of prisons they operate in or speak to your ICPO caseworker.
Phone calls
International calls are not permitted from some US prisons and if they are available, they can be expensive. Rules vary between prisons so your loved one should check the prison handbook or ask a member of staff.
Video calls
You need to use a smart phone or a tablet for video calls. Video call systems vary and include Getting Out and JPAY in the US. Please speak to your ICPO caseworker for more information.
Visiting your loved one
If you are visiting someone in a county jail or immigration detention centre, you might not need to be pre-approved to visit so you will need to present yourself at the jail with photo identification (your passport is the best form of identification).
If you are visiting in a federal or state correctional prison, you will need to be pre-approved to visit. Each prison has their own visits procedure and information about this will be available on their website or from your ICPO Caseworker. It can take 3-4 months to become an approved visitor so if you intend on visiting the United States to visit a loved one, it is advisable that you become approved before you book your flights. In some cases, your loved one may need to send you the visitor approval paperwork but again, the prison website will let you know about this procedure.
Sending money
Payments to prisoners can be made by money order (if you are in the US) or most prisons will have an online option for making payments. The online options vary from prison to prison however; the prison website or your ICPO caseworker should be able to give you further information.
Concerned for your family member’s wellbeing
If you are concerned about your family member, you can contact the prison directly by phone. You can also contact your ICPO caseworker who will put you in contact with relevant agencies such as the Irish Embassy/Consulate and Irish welfare groups.
Further information
You can find more information about prison conditions in the USA by visiting https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/usa-prisoner-pack Although these guides are directed at British citizens, the provide reliable information about prison conditions and the justice system which you may find helpful.
