Can anyone out there tell me the procedure on DOC home inspection...my Jimmy has put down to be parolled to my apartment address...we are to be married as soon as he is released...are they supposed to do these inspections before the Parole Board meets on their case or after...he is supposed to have a staff ordered review tomorrow...he is in Clarinda...he has been in TOW program, has completed all Phases and BEP...I have been waiting for the call from DOC to come visit our home...I am ready for them, but have not received a call...what does this mean if they are to meet tomorrow to decide if he gets parolled to home...can anyone help? Has anyone been thru this part of the incarceration and release process before?

When the DOC comes to check out your house, they can either show up with a scheduled appt or without. They're going to be checking that the house is in "good" living conditions. Pretty much, they check everything. Usually they do the checking after parole has been granted. If your house is denied then, they usually give him another option. Somtimes, it's to a halfway house. It really depends on what the DOC decides, usually the parole board. My ex went thru this. Even before he was able to leave the halfway house after prison, the DOC came and checked out our apt. They checked the fridge, the cupboards, closets, bathrooms,etc...the list goes on. It jsut depends on who comes to visit. I didn't get a call before they came. They just showed up. I always made sure the house was picked up and everything was in order. I told people for days not to come over. I didn't want someone elses behavior to affect what they could decide for my ex.

Hope this helps.

What JJsGB is correct. Although, the inspection for my son wasn't quit that picky. The first time he was paroled the PO came over to my parent's house (that's were my son asked to live). The guy just asked all sorts of questions. My parents blew it big time with their answers, which was ok with me because I didn't want him living there anyway. The guy used the excuse of a firearm in the house. It was an antique rife and I do mean antique. The 2nd time my son was paroled. The guy came over to my house, asked a bunch of questions, then asked to see the house. I showed him each room. He never opened a drawer or a cubbard. These two visits were prearranged

Good Luck!! Tell us how it went.

LadyDi & JJsGB

Thank you so much for the info. I called the Parole Board today to see if a decision has been made on my guy (electronic interviews from Clarinda were held yesterday). They said nothing is showing up on the computer as yet. Guess no news is good news.

It is too bad that the Iowa Parole Board online site is down due to lack of funding...otherwise I could just keep going there to check the status.

Anyway, they said to call back on Monday. They told me to call Probation & Parole Services to discuss procedure on "home visit".

PPS told me that, yes, the home visit was held after parole decision was made. Once the decision is made to "parole to home" a "packet" for the "client" (inmate) is sent to PPS, and a worker is assigned to "client." Then the worker calls the person in the home to where the "client" is asking to be paroled, and an appointment is set for a home visit.

Amount of time from Parole Board decision to "home visit": 3 - 4 weeks.

Can either of you (or anyone reading this) tell me how long it takes for a "decision" to be made...and how long it takes to be inputed into the computer there?

Also, can anyone tell me how long after the "home visit" it takes for your loved one to be released?

I really appreciate any info I can get since my Jimmy and I have never been thru this before (and will never go thru it again, I can assure you!!!). We were unfortunate, as I am sure so many of you have been, that we couldn't afford to hire an attorney---Jimmy slipped thru so many cracks in the past 14+ months it is unreal. We are just hoping that all of the "rugs" have finally been pulled out from under us and we will soon be able to get on with our life together. We were together for 7 years before this all happened and were about to be married. Jimmy did have problems that needed to be corrected, tho. So, we look at this interruption as a "good thing" (that is how we have stayed positive) because the problems have been addressed and dealt with.

Thank you, again. I will keep you all posted in this Iowa forum.

Our experience with the inspection was pretty quick. The guy told us right then that he didn't see any problem. That he had to write up his report and submit it would take a few days. For the release to home question, that takes roughly a couple of months (give or take a week). That has been pretty standard time frame. I am basing this on my son's experience and those of his friend's while he was in prison and they were being release. Parole decisions are made pretty quick. It's the writing up a letter and sending it to the inmante that takes so long.

LadyDi

Thanks for your reply.

Where was your son incarcerated? My guy had been told by inmates and his counselor that it takes 4-6 weeks from the time of the Parole Board decision to actually be released.

So, when you are talking about a couple of months, are you saying a couple of months from the time of the Parole decision to the time of actual release from the facility?

I was referring to the release from the facility. Because he is going to a home, it won't take as long. If he were going to a work release (half-way house) it would take much longer, especially if it's to bigger city like Sioux City, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines.

My son was at Mt. Pleasant from 5/99 -2/11/01 and was at Oakdale for 56 days before that.