When you have a loved one in jail, whether they are your siblings, spouse, child, or anyone, it can be a challenging experience. There might be a situation where you are not present when they get arrested, and you are not aware of where they are kept.
Around the United States, there are around three thousand jail jurisdictions, and the Los Angeles County jail system is one of the largest. According to statistics, around two percent of the jail inmates in the US county jail were in Los Angeles jails. If you want a reliable inmate search, los angeles county, where you can easily get information on inmates, find here.
If your loved one is in jail, the process can be frustrating. But if you know the steps, you can track them down, so check out the following guide, and with little patience, you can find them.
Finding A Prison Inmate
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First, when you want to find your loved ones, it is important to understand the prison system. The prison is divided into different facility types: federal, state, and county jails. So, where the inmate is held basically depends on their crime. It also depends on their sentence duration. For federal crime, it leads to serving time in federal jail; if the convicts have committed a state law felony, then they have to spend one year in the state prison, and if the inmates are convicted of small crimes, their sentence is less than a year, they will be in county or city jails.
When you are looking for a federal inmate, you can check out the online services, where you can put in the basic details, such as name, sex, age, etc, of the inmates.
However, if the person you are looking for is only arrested and they have not been incarcerated yet, then it can be a bit difficult to locate them. Mostly, they are held in county jails or local courthouses till they await their hearings or jail bond. There is a possibility that the data have not been updated online yet. However, you can do an online search where you can put in the basic details and check out the database that includes the conviction records and history of the inmate.
To help you in your search, below are some steps you can follow and get in touch with your friends or family.
Steps To Find A Love One In Jail
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Firstly you have to find out where your loved ones are being kept. You need to find in which jail they are being held. You can take a look at the arrest report. In the report, you can see where the arrest took place. But, when you do not have a copy of the report, you can get in touch with the prison to get the information.
1. Look At Reliable Online Sites
After you get the information about where your loved ones are, you can search for them online. There are reliable sites where you can find the inmates’ names, their DOB, etc. You can also see the photos of your loved ones. Mostly these sites are free, and you can get the information without paying anything. These online sites have extensive databases and make it easy for you to get detailed information.
2. Get In Touch With The Prison
If your search does not end up with fruitful results, you can always contact the prison. In this way, you can get information such as where their housing units are and what is the bail amount. However, remember that you have to bring the photo identity proof of the inmate and also the arrest report copy.
3. Stay Calm
It goes without saying that when someone you love is in jail, it can be extremely confusing and frustrating. However, with little patience, you can easily track them down. Stay calm, and ultimately you will find them with the help of reliable online sites.
How To Contact Your Loved Ones?
When someone you know is in jail, you will do anything to make them feel loved. Once you do your inmate search and know where you are, then you will definitely want to contact them as soon as you can. There are different ways you can get in touch with them; however, you do have to follow some rules.
1. You Can Write Letters
Once you have found your loved one, you can write letters. This is a special way to get connected. Sending letters can be a slow process since the correctional officers check the mail thoroughly. However, it is worth the time. You do have to follow the rules, such as do not include staples, lipstick, glitter, fragrance, etc.
2. You Can Do Phone Calls
Another way to keep in contact is via phone calls. But remember that you cannot make a call, but you do have to wait for your loved ones to call you. They have to call via prepaid phone accounts, or they can call you via collect call. Remember that they can only collect calls to landline phones. Also, these calls are recorded, and the prison system monitors the calls.
3. In-Prison Visit
Source: theguardian.com
You have to learn about the facility’s rules and laws and their visitation rules. Also, there might be some clothing laws, so read about that too. Most prisons have a no-touch policy, so hugs and handshakes might not be allowed.
Conclusion
Summing up, if someone close to you is in prison, then it is understandable that keeping in touch can be a bit challenging. Sometimes inmates do get transferred, and every prison has different rules when it comes to contacting the inmates. However, with the help of the online database, you can easily locate your loved ones and you can get in touch. Follow the above-mentioned steps to find out where your loved ones are located, and once you have found them, contact them according to the prison rules.
