My honey just showed up on the inmate locator after being in federal custody for over a year!!! I'm so excited, he has been in county this whole time and no contact visits. I'm wondering if i can go ahead and send money through western union now? Any and all info on this will be great. I'm so excited yall just have no idea!!!!:thumbsup:

While there have been no contact visits for the past year, I assume that your husband has been in a federal institution and that, by extension, you have been aware of where he was. That being the case, how can they possibly refuse to accept a money order sent in his name to that institution. He's obviously being housed there and they would therefore have to have set up documents, including canteen funds, for him. Was that not done?

MandyMeMe
Glad he finally got to the locator, hopefully it wont take the Marshals forever to get him to his destination. From my experience I would wait till he actually gets to federal ground, even OK if nowhere else, before sending anything. The Marshall Service managed to lose all my money for about a year supposedly because I was still in a private CCA facility and the funds were not transfered correctly. You can always Western Union a bit of money and mail the rest so he can at least buy a few personals.

NO - most likely if he was being held in a county jail it was NOT a Federal institution; the two are related only by the fact the "store" inmates. A county jail would send the money home and not forward it on to a Federal prison.

ajap-you are right, he has been in county jails the whole time. The comminsary and phone are very different than federal prisons. So are the visists. He has not been outside in over 2 months and that was to go to sentencing. I know he can't wait to get some fresh air.

Tell me about it! I was in county for 18 months - 9 different jails; I went out to hear my time and the next time I even saw sunlight was 6 months later when the Marshalls came to move to yet another county jail. I literally never even saw a window! When I finally got to the FCI I though I was in heaven. ;-)

If the inmate shows him to be in a federal prison now, you can send him money through the central address to which you send funds. For phone and visits, you gotta wait for him to contact you (which the funds will help with). Z.

The locator shows him "in transit". So he has not been moved yet, he is still in county. So i am a bit optimistic about sending money yet. Should i wait till they move him or go ahead now?

Mandy,

This weekend I sent a MO to the lockbox, I'll let you know if it arrived. My mother is still in transit. Lets see if she's able to see it on her account while she's in the FTC.

P.S. Save your $15 that Western Union charges for Quick Collect, USPS MO to the lockbox is a great alternative.

I would not send money until he leaves the county facility and is in a BOP facility. He won't be able to access it there anyway. Z.

Thanks yall, i think i'll wait till they move him. I have heard though that if you send the money order by mail it takes longer to get processed so which is faster western union or mail?

Western Union is faster but a lot more expensive! Once he gets settled where he is, there is no reason to send the money last minute and have to spend more to send it. Z.