Hey everyone! I'm new here.. my name is Monika, I'm 20, and I'm from Pasadena. My fiance was just sentenced to do 4 years. I'm really new to having a loved one behind bars and don't know what to expect. This week he just got transferred to Wasco reception center...I've been told I won't be receiving a phone call or letter anytime soon! That was a buzz kill for me. Well I have some ?'s and hopefully you guys can help~!
I've heard that when you get sentenced you never actually end up doing the full term...is that true? He is supposed to do 80% of the 4 years but can he be released sooner? Also we were supposed to get married in prison so we can get the family visits but I heard that got taken away...I've been told a lot of different stuff on different issues and I just wanna know the truth...I'm hoping he doesn't get sent to Northern Cali but I heard that they try to keep them close to where the family is.. Also I've read the posts about the visits and they scare me... All those crazy rules and regulations and the guards being butt heads...I've only been to Orange County Jail and Wayside to visit him and they were decent places where I didn't run across any problems.Well anyways I hope someone can give me some answers because I'm sitting here in the dark and my minds going crazy thinking... Can you guys tell me what to expect from here... Thanks, I'm so glad I found this place I think I would go nuts not knowing anything if I hadn't found this place! You guys seem like a great group of people whom I hope to get to know better!
~~Monika~~

Hi Monica, welcome to PTO ....I can´t really help you ..sorry , I also don´t know about this System ... but I m sure , you get your answer soon . ~~ Sabine ~~

Monica...I'll be as much help as I can be...some people here are so much more knowlegable than I am, but I'll do my best to help..

My friend was just put in North Kern about a month ago. He's not allowed ANY phone privelages while he's in Reception, which can take up to 6 months according to what the counselor told him. He is allowed as many letters as you can possibly send...BUT...be careful WHAT and HOW you send it...you cannot send padded/bubble envelopes, nothing over 8x10, no cash, money orders or personal checks must be complete with senders' info and ONLY POST OFFICE money orders will be accepted. No newspapers, magazines or books for RC inmates, No metal, plastic, cloth, string or parchment paper, ribbon, flowers or candy. No whiteout, crayon, markers, pencils, pens or paints of any kind. No jewelry, clothing, food or cosmetic items of any kind. No Polaroid pictures or negatives. Nothing gang related. No written codes, gang signs or tattoos. No glue, tape, stickers, glitter, labels or post it's. NOTHING GLUED! No calendars, maps or date books, NO SCENTED ENVELOPES OR LIPSTICK!!!! no blank greeting cards, blank postcards or musical cards. No more than 10 sheets of paper per letter for RC inmates. No more than 20 embossed (Pre postage paid) envelopes per letter...NO METERED MAIL! No more than 10 photographs per letter...nudity is allowed but NO penetration shots. No original certified items such as marriage licenses and birth certificates. NO STAMPS!

That's directly from a returned letter I recieved from NKSP. Ca ca heads won't let you make stuff smell pretty. Worst part is, that was his appeal form that got sent back to me...took another week to get it back to him...that's precious time lost!

We've been discussing the bra issue here...no underwires...
I just got off the phone with the visiting sargeant and was told "for saftey matters, go buy black sweats, make sure they're loose and wear sneakers without shoe laces." depending on the guard that checks you in I guess shoelaces can be considered deadly weapons if they somehow get into the prison? I don't know for sure on that one, but that's what he told me. Nothing GREY, GREEN, BLUE, ORANGE or YELLOW. NO PLAIN T-SHIRTS! I'm going to wal-mart to buy myself a set of prison clothes...it's ridiculous, but this is what we must do to support our loved ones.

Also, if you're driving over 250 miles, call ahead to make sure 1) they're not in lockdown 2) that you won't be turned away. I have to get up at 3 in the morning to be on the road at 4 to be there by 8 tomorrow morning to visit my friend. I was just approved today...he hasn't seen anyone since he saw me last and that was early july so he needs interaction. Don't think that you'll be able to touch him...RC is strictly non contact.

As far as marrying and the good stuff that comes with it :) They haven't taken away family visits...I just asked when I was talking to them and they said "they are alive and well"...no worries there :) BUT there are required things your hubby has to do to be able to qualify...what those are I don't know...I'll ask my friend and see if he can tell me.

There is a new law they are trying to pass, it will be on the November Ballot that reduces inmate sentances by 20%...I'm looking further into this as per my friends request. He's asked that we all vote for it and to tell family and friends to vote for it too! As far as how long they serve...it should have been said by the judge at sentencing? My friend was told 85% mandatory serve. I've been told by friends who have had loved ones in the system down here in SD that sometimes they count 1 day as 3 for good behavior and sometimes, they count 1 as 1. Someone else told me that mandatory is mandatory...no time off for good behavior period.

Here's a link to court forms for criminal cases

http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/forms.cgi

I had to print a few and send them to my friend b/c his attorney lagged...it's helpful to have.

Let me or anyone else know if there's anything else we can do for you!

Silver

I can tell you from personal experience with Wasco when my man was there he was there for 3+ months in their reception center. And it is TRUE, there will be NO phone calls what so ever! (Unfortunately!) It was a miserable time for me that was for sure! Mine was not able to use the phone until he was "mainlined" at Corcoran. He was however able to write letters from Wasco & receive of course.

Kelly

Monika, the best person I think that could help you out os Kconner. He is very knowledgable about the CA prisons. As for family visits, a friend of mine who's husband is incarcerated is not allowed any visit where they can touch, sorry. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask, I live in La Verne which is near Pomona. I went to school in Arcadia. So please feel free to ask for anything. I will try and do what I can.

At Corcoran we were able to have "contact" visits, not family visits because we aren't married yet. But, since he was a Level 1 and the Level 1 "family visit" facility had a leaking ceiling or something of that sort so it was out of order, so they weren't allowed at that time.

But, if you go to visit your man at Wasco while he is in reception you will NOT have contact visits, they will be behind glass and only for 1 hr at a time, however if you want to go Friday, Saturday & Sunday all 3 days in a row you can do that. Which I was glad to find out since I was driving 4 hrs from Sacramento. And I have a friend that lives very near the prisons up there so I was able to stay with them.

Kelly

Monica,

I have done alot of time at Wasco. For reception centers it's not all that bad. You say your b/f is doing 80% on 4yrs. So he's doing strike sentence. He's probably on either the B or D yard. These are cells. He is locked up 23 hrs a day 6 days a week. They switch, you get 1 hr/day in the day room, or on the yard. On the 6th day (Fridays when I was last there) he is locked down 24 hrs a day. He gets out for 15min for breakfast, & dinner. He gets a bag lunch which is handed out at breakfast to eat in your cell. He gets 10min shower every other day. Definately no phones. If he came to Wasco from Orange County he is lucky, because Orange County sends his money up with him in cash, so he has access to it immediately. Most Counties you have to wait. So he will get a fish draw when he gets there. Because of the strike sentence he will probably go to either a 3 yard or 2 yard prison. There are more 2 yard prisons near so. Cal area. I can give you a list of them if you want. He also will spend less time in reception going to a 2 yard than a 3 yard. He will be out between 2-3 months. A 3 yard will take as long as 6 months, & a 4yard can take a year or longer. There are still family visits, but as has been said before the guy really has to bend over backwards to get them, & they really frown on people getting married just so they can get conjugal visits. Being he only will be doing about 3 years it's doubtful he will get them, but I guess you can always try. I also don't think getting married just to get conjugal visits is a good idea, but thats your business not mine.He can't even think about all this till he gets to a mainline prison. Institutions have their own rules regarding these things so it depends on where he goes.

As for how long he will do. Take this to the bank. He will serve at least 80% of his 4 year sentence. There is no reduction beyond the 80%. He can serve more than the 80%, & it's always possible to pick up a street case while locked up. When a judge sentences you to prison he doesn't tell you when your getting out. He sends you there, getting out is on you. It also matters what race he is, but thats a whole other story. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask.--Ken

Ken...you're amazing! Thank you so much...I found a lot of that really helpful and I think I'm starting to figure out why he hasn't met his counselor yet and his cellie has (his cellie got there days after him and met his counselor within 30 days...he's been there 39 now and no word from a counselor)...I thought from the start he would probably be in a 3 yard...now, it's starting to look like maybe I'm right? The thing is my friend is at North Kern. Do things work differntly there?

welcome aboard Princess!

Monica,

Glad I could be of help. NKSP (North Kern State Prison) also called Delano, works pretty much the same as Wasco. They even look the same. As for seeing a counslor, it is completely arbitrary. I've seen guys who have seen their counslor & been transfered in 2 weeks, & others who have waited months after seeing their counslor to be transfered. Also just cause one guy sees his counslor first it doesn't mean he will leave first. If you knew his points I could tell you what yard he will go to. The 3 yard prisons they will send him too, that are even close to So Cal are.
Centinela, Donovan, Ironwood, Delano, Wasco, Corcoran,
Pleasent Valley (Coalinga), DVI (Tracy), CMC, Tehachapi.

Most of these prisons are within a 3-4 hour drive, which is about the best you can hope for. I have been to Corcoran, & Ironwood, & neither of them are anything nice. If I can be of any more help feel free to aask away-----Ken

Thank you again Ken...your help is wonderful! He doesn't know his points yet...he says he won't know them until he meets with a counselor. He doesn't know anything yet actually, he hasn't even been told exactly what he's serving time for...conviction wise that is. Is there anything I can tell him to do to speed up the process?

Ken~
Thank you so much for all that great info! I just received a letter from him this weekend and he mentioned that he got halftime! =) I hope this is true and that he wasn't misinformed! I don't know his points but I think he's a level 4, last time he was at Corcoran and Mule Creek. Whenever he goes to jail he gets put into maximum security. I'm sending him a letter tomorrow with the visiting form, how long do you think it will take before that gets processed and I get
approved? Also I want to send him paper and envelopes do I send it inside other envelopes or can I get a larger sized envlope and stick everything in? Thanx again for all the great info~
Monika~~

I just remembered something else I wanted to ask... I heard you can visit friday- sunday, well I would love to take advantage of that... are there any hotels nearby the prison so I can stay there the weekend instead of driving back and forth...Also in your previous post you mentioned something about it depends on his race well he's white what dos that mean. Also he told me he's a drop out... and therefore can't be sent into the mainline... would that make a difference of where he will be doing his time? Sorry for asking all these questions~I really appreaciate your replies~ Monika~~

I know the envelopes and paper one...we just went through it actually. We sent pictures, envelopes and letters in the same envelope and got it back with the rules they have for sending mail...20 envelops max per send and don't use a padded envelope...use Manilla, the CDC seems to like Manilla envelopes...10 pages of paper per letter in RC, I just fold mine up and put it in a regular envelope...that's what he's going to do anyway :)

I was REALLY HAPPY with the outcome of my visitors form...I got it on the 5th (august), sent it back on the 6th...I'm assuming they got it no later than the 10th of August and worked on it then...I was approved and he was notified on the 20th. They say it takes 30 days, but mine only took 10. That's North Kern...I don't know if Wasco takes longer or shorter...but it's a good sign :)

For Hotels...I found this on Yahoo

http://yp.yahoo.com/py/ypResults.py?&&city=Pond&state=CA&zip=93280-8800&country=us&msa=0680&slt=35.606400&sln=-119.369900&cs=5&stp=y&stx=7737307

I'm not sure of what the hotels look like or how close they are to Wasco...when I put in the Wasco zip code, it changed the town name to Pond (I don't know why).

Good luck! :)

Ken...separately, would you mind if I sent the information you're sharing to my friend? I would not include your name in them...but would that be a problem?

Thanks silver for the mail answer... have you gone up to Delano for the visit yet? And if so how was your experience?
Anyt tips for driving or dress code? Also do they send you a booklet of some sort on all their fabulous rules?
~monika~

No booklet on the rules...that's kind of a learn as you go thing I guess?

I went up there (to Kern) yesterday. The drive itself took me from 3:45 am to 7:45 am...long and boring in the dark most of the way. The drive might not take you as long to get to Wasco, you're in LA? Might be about a 3 or 3 1/2 hour drive...I live almost 300 miles from Kern. GET THERE EARLY!!! From all the girls that were there, they say it only gets worse as the day goes on, but when I got there at 7:45 (45 minutes before they opened) there were only a handful of people waiting. Processing took a total of 15 minutes or 20 maybe, it's just waiting for him to come to the booth that can take a bit of time...I think that took about 20-30 minutes. I was out of the facility and in my truck at 10:21 am.

As far as clothing, I saw some people wearing tighter clothing and they all got sent back to their cars to change. I wore black athletic pants (the nylon ones), sports bra without an underwire and a black tshirt and black gym shoes and I was fine. Everything I wore was loose, it didn't tug at any body part which I think is what they're watching for. They make you take off your shoes, so if you get stinky feet, bring a pair of flip flops to wear on the drive and your sneakers to put on when you get there :)

Kern was pretty clean, but the only thing I have to compare it to is Mens Central in LA which is a rat pit in my opinion. Kern is very sterile, all the walls are white, only color is the black stenciled writing to direct you. I didn't find the guards to be difficult or friendly. The visit itself is of course blissful :) It's in a non contact booth, much wider than the county ones, you can actually stretch in these booths...there's no one behind you, just a white concrete wall. It is a slight bit chilly...but I always get cold. A jacket or sweater might not be a bad thing to take along. Leaving the visit you have to show your hand stamp in a little *booth* type thing that you stick your arm into and they compare your ID for the 5th or 6th time to your face and then they tell you to have a great day. I even heard one of them tell me "thanks for coming, see you soon!" They're much friendlier on the way out than on the way in. That one hour visit goes by SO FAST!!! Make sure you know what you want to talk about b/c you'll forget otherwise and on your way home you'll kick yourself :)

Hope that helps :) if there's anything else, let me know :)

Silver~
Thanx for all the great info~ One last question... I want to put money on my honeys books, do I send him a money order or when I visit him I could do that?
~monika~

That one, I'm not sure of. I haven't put any money on his books at the facility itself, I've only sent money orders (must be post office money orders) to him. I know that when you visit you can only bring change in quarters, no dollar bills or nickels, dimes, pennies..just quarters and kern has a limit of $30 that you can bring I think...I would call Wasco directly at (661) 758-8400 and ask them if you can deposit money on his books directly. Otherwise, if you want to mail it, keep in mind it takes a few days to post on his account (I think around 5 judging from my friends letters), then you just act like you're sending him a letter, fill out the money order with all the information, address the envelope the same way you would a letter and when it gets to the facility, they'll open it and direct it to his account and he'll get a receipt showing that $ was put in his account. (I think he gets a receipt, otherwise he's psychic :) )

Sorry guys for not getting back to you sooner.

Silver, no there really isn't anything that can be done to speed up the process. He just has to wait. Silver you can use anything I post, & you can use my name it's all good.

Ericspriness, (Monica), If I'm not mistaken didn't you say he was doing 4years with 80%. If thats true, he can't get 1/2 time. So you have to find this out. If he was convicted on a strike case, 1/2 time is out of the question. Sorry. The race thing has to do with politics on the yard. Being he's white, he has a pretty good chance of getting through without picking up a street case. He may however get some hole time, but you can get that back. I don't know what he means by a drop out. He has to go to a mainline, medical ward, or the SHU. Those are the only places you can do time. Corcoran & Mule Creek are both mainline prisons. You have to send money orders, you can't put money on their books at the prison. Also it's best to send Postal Money orders. You get them at the post office, & they only cost like .75-1.00. So please if you can clarify if he's doing a sentence on a strike case, & what does he mean by a drop out & he cant be on a mainline. Thanks-----Ken

Ken~
Thanks for replying~ The case he had was drug possession and as far as I know doesn't count as a strike. By drop out I mean he was in a prison gang and dropped out so therefore can't go into mainline because he'll get in a lot of shit if anyone was to find out he dropped out. He probably will get put into the shu then... that sucks for him... isn't it like the hole? How much money do you think is a reasonable amount to have to be comfortable? I know when he got sent to Wasco he had atleast $50 on his books at county. Thanx for all the halpful info Ken~
Monika~

Thanks Ken :)

I'm curious about the $ thing too...how much is good? what does stuff cost? He won't tell me or hasn't told me...so I'm not sure if he has enough $ to get by. Is $100 enough monthly? More? Less?

on an off note, I keep picturing myself when I was around 3 pulling on my dad's shirt asking "daddy, what's this? daddy, what's that?" sorry if I'm buggin ya Ken :)

Monica, OK that explains things really well. Yes, he probably will do most of his time in the SHU. Yes, the SHU is exactly like the hole. I belive in the SHU you can only spend something like 80-100 dollars a month if that. Someone said he thought it was 35 dollars but that seems to low. He can receive his normal mail, & can receive books from a publisher, in the SHU. AS for how much to send, well that kind of an individual thing. I could get by on 50-75 dollars a month comfortably, but I also was getting quarterly packages, & that was 4 years ago. I also wasn't a big spread eater, or coffee drinker with cream & sugar. Also are you the only one sending him money? My family, wife, mom, sister all got together & took good care of me without it being a large weight on any one person. Being in the SHU will put a limit on what he can get. It would be best for him to send you a canteen list, & get his input as to what his monthly needs are, & what his monthly wants are, & to know the differance. ---Ken


Silver,

Please don't worry, your not bothering me. It makes me feel good to be able to help. So please ask away. Yes 100/month should be fine. As I said to Monica, try to combine your efforts with his families, & friends, & he will be fine, & it won't be a big burden on any one person. I was able to get by on 50-75/month, but that was 4 years ago. The best thing is to get his input. When he is eligible for quarterly packages, they are very expensive. Mine would run from 250-300 dollars. So everyone, family & friends would spend three months buying a little here & a little there, when ever they went to the store they would pick up something extra, & just drop it into a box. This way it wasn't a big purchase all at once. Have him send you a list of what he can have & the specifications on the items, like no foil on candy bars, no glass containers, containers must be see through, etc. With a good quarterly package & 75-100/month in canteen he should be just fine. I lived well. I wasn't rich, but I wasn't poor either. ---------Ken

Hi Monika! I'm Amy from Downey here in L.A. I am 18 years old, and my boyfriend Albert is 21 and doing his time in a Puerto Rican Jail. Welcome to PTO!!! Sorry this is late, I try to get over here as often as I can. Anyways, I have a friend who's from Pasadena also......Well I know just how you feel I was as new to this whole thing as you. If you ever want to talk, just email me! loveamyxoxo@hotmail.com

Amy xoxo