The good news is that my man is now in Mineral Wells--or at least I thought it was good. According to him, very few inmates are actually being released from there. I've been told he is actually on parole (technically), just mandatory supervised (plain and simply still locked up) parole.

First, I am wondering if anyone else has had any experience with this unit and what can I expect? I have already been there to visit--visitation sucks--absolutely NO privacy and they pack people in at long tables like sardines.

Secondly, they have phone access there. These calls are costing me approximately $8.26 each, and he calls A LOT. I've already got a $400 phone bill. Is there an option for this and if not, how do the rest of you handle it?

Thirdly, since being transferred he is going through huge amounts of money, not to mention the free world clothes he is now allowed to have and wear. I'm concerned about what this money is being used for to be truthful not to mention the fact that he is driving me BROKE between wanting money and the telephone.

Nothing I say seems to help much. He just gets offended and I'm just not sure of how to make him settle down and stop spending so much.

HELPPPPPPPPP!!!! :confused:

Nothing I say seems to help much. He just gets offended and I'm just not sure of how to make him settle down and stop spending so much.

Girlfriend, I suggest you put yourself first. And if you can't afford the money, you just stop accepting all the phone calls. Are they really necessary or is it $400 of idle chit chat because he is bored. And if you are keeping his accounts full of money and you can't afford just start cutting back. I am probably a little older than most of you girls and know a lot of these men are just using you to take care of themselves. Only you can figure out if you are being used or if he really truly needs all this money from you. I have learned though if a man really cares about you he won't put you in a financial hardship. Another hard question to ask yourself, is it worth it to stay with someone who brings you so much trouble. But to get back to the money, if you can't afford it just stop doing it or tell him you will have to limit the amount you can spend and stick to your guns.

Skip spent 4 months at CCA Mineral Wells. I sent him a couple hundred dollars worth of Jeans/T-Shirts/Shorts from oldnavy.com. Check with property at the unit, as to how many packages you can send in. You can't send ANYTHING in that they can buy at store (no red/blue or white T-shirts, NO socks, No underware, No sunglasses or hats). The clothes have to be logo-free. You cannot send in office supplies (writing pads/envelopes). They go to store each week (versus every 2 weeks at a regular unit), and he spent about $25/week while he was there. He did ask for an extra $20 before he came home. He bought a huge duffle bag at store to carry his stuff home in.

Skip said the food was pretty bad, and he mostly spent his store money on food. I've heard cigarettes are abundant, but VERY expensive (and they are contraband still)....if they get caught smoking, they will catch a case.

I went to visit EVERY weekend from May to September (I live in Plano). I got there VERY early before visitation was packed. I was usually 7 or 8 in line, and I usually pulled into the parking lot between 7 and 7:30 am. Sundays were more quiet than Saturdays, but there is still no privacy at visitation....no holding hands. We kissed/hugged at beginning/ending of visit.

The calls were thru EVERCOM, and I paid about what you are paying. We limited it to every Wednesday nite (2 calls MAX) and Sunday evening to make sure I got home safe. He would usually call twice everytime he called, so we talked 1/2 hour. I spent about $30/week phone calls. Set him a limit and stick to it. Tell him to write more.

Skip said you could get pretty much anything you wanted inside (smokes/booze etc)...so as far as where his money is going, it's hard to say. They have TONS of classes, and the new DWI class is offered at this unit.

Hopefully, this is part of his leg home. Skip was approved for his discretionary mandatory supervision from this unit, and if that's the case for you, they will let your man go right out of the back gate of Mineral Wells. He won't have to go back to Huntsville for release.

Let me know if you have any other questions!
kath

Guess I gotta stick to my guns, huh?

I'm worried about the money mainly. I love this guy with all my heart, but even when I do tell him no he doesn't listen. He has already caught 3 cases since he was transferred there 6 weeks ago. It really makes me angry that he doesn't care enough about our relationship and his freedom to stay out of trouble.

This is the worst unit he has been in, and I guess the greatest test of our relationship. I'm going to need all the support I can get to make it through this part and he is not helping at all. It's like he is detached from the world and in his own little world in there where it takes all of this money to get by. I'm in the process of moving next month to a better area, he just disregards the fact that I have extra expenses and continues to live in his own little world.

His clothes came from Dillards, very expensive, but they DID ship direct from the store what I bought, that was nice, no mail order. Does Old Navy ship direct from the store too? He has already let another guy wear a pair of his pants and had those taken away from him.

Sounds to me like someone has some growing up to do, and he's not going to until he's left no other choice, and maybe not even then. Whether it's you or the folks in charge of the prison that's going to make him see the light seems to be a toss up if he's already catching cases there. I would tell him next time you visit how you really feel about things and what has to be done. Set rules and limitations like Kath said and then stick to them no matter how much he gets pissed off. Just because he is where he is, is no reason to bring you down with him. I agree that if he really loved you, he'd be thinking of you before himself and deal with what he has and be damn thankful for it! He'd also be towing the line to make sure he's getting out as soon as possible. Good luck! We're here for you!

I can't say much about the clothes and money, but have you tried getting a prepaid plan from evercom? You could set aside a monthly limit that way you don't go over on your pone bill. I have a prepaid plan andit seems to be working well for me. I know that a lot of people hav had trouble with evercom but I haven't so far. Maybe you should look into it.
That way you'll be able to tell him the exact amount of money you have for calls. I put 50.00 every 2-3 weeks on mine, because brad calls once a weeks now and we talk as long as we want each time. If something happens and you need more money you can pay over the phone or at western union. It might not work for you, but it has worked for me so far. We know we have limits and we stick to it.

oh, and about old navy. I went to the store and bought a gift card then ordered online. You can get pretty good clearance items that they don't have yet at the store online. It was a lot easier for me to get his clothes online than to go searching for a store who will ship them.