Notice to new members intending to register - from January 9th 2012

chrisjanna · #1 11-20-2011, 12:49 AM

Hello..I am single Mom with two spectacular boys and beautiful daughter. My first born son Devin was sentenced yesterday to 48 months in prison. He is 19 yrs old and for the first time in my life, I'M TERRIFIED! I have been fighting Leukemia for almost a yr and remember as if it were yesterday the morning I was told that I have Cancer. Could there be anything worse than that?? Yesterday showed me what something worse is and I have no idea who to reach out to for advise or answers to questions that I desperately need. Such as... when will he leave Pierce County Jail for Shelton? Is there such thing as half time? How long will it be until I hear from him after he is transfered? What happens to his clothes and property that was taken when he was arrested? More importantly, will my son be safe? If there is anyone with a 19 yr old son who has or is currently doing time in prison and is willing to share their story with me, I would greatly appreciate it.
Chrisjanna

GMA · #2 11-20-2011, 09:06 AM

Welcome Chrisjanna.
You can call the jail and inquire about how long you have to pick up your sons belongings. I don't know if he can arrange to have them sent to someone by mail but if he can he will have to pay for it.
Jail booking 253-798-4950

He will most likely go to Shelton within a week. After he arrives he will be assigned a pin # which he can use to make collect calls. It may take a few days for that. He will be assigned a DOC number. You will be able to see where he is and have other questions answered by going to the WA State Dept of Corrections website and choosing offender info. You can use name or DOC # to search for him.
He will be able to receive mail and money orders. The money will be placed on his books. No packages at Shelton. You can also fund his accounts through JPAY.com

You can also set up a phone account through myvconnect.com if you wish as soon as he has a DOC.#.

My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family as well as all of the others that are going through this difficult time.

WA CCO · #3 11-20-2011, 09:07 AM

He should move within 30 days. There's a form he signs if he wants to waive those 30 days.

One of others could speak better on this but I believe his belongings won't transfer with him. He will have to release them to somone.

He will get good time. He'll most likely only qualify for 1/3 off.

**nevaeh2morrow** · #4 11-20-2011, 09:52 AM

Welcome to PTO Chrisjanna! I'm glad you found this site. This site was so valuable to me when my son was incarcerated. The above posts have good information in them. (WA CCO and GMA) When my son was convicted he spent 30 days in the jail and then was moved to Shelton. My son signed something at the jail so I could pick up his clothing at the jail. The jail had put it all in a big paper bag when I went to pick it up. There were a few things missing but later on I had received those items by mail.
I'm not sure why but when I received his property it was hard on me to go through it. Once he was transferred to Shelton he was in "Receiving Unit". You won't hear from him right away. He will be given a pin number as mentioned in the above post and once he gets that he will be able to call you. You will most likely get a message on the phone when he calls you to set up a phone account..... welcome to the wonderful world of the prison phone system...it pretty much sucks as it is expensive and has lots of problems with connectivity and so on. But you will get used to it. Expect to not hear from him for 3 to 4 days and maybe up to a week. There are a lot of guys at receiving and not many phones and long lines to use the phone. At least there was back then.

The phone calls are in 20 minute increments. When he is at Shelton he can send you a visit form. You will need to fill that out and send it back to him so you can get on his visit list. This usually takes about 30 days to get approved although it can be sooner - but you will learn to expect the latest time periods in this journey. Shelton is not a bad place to visit.
Once he is "classified" he will be sent to his "home prison". That pretty much takes about 30 days too.

I hope that helps a little bit. I'm sorry you are having to go through this. We are here for you, just know that. There are many people here that are willing to listen and give you support. The most important thing I could offer is to please take care of yourself first. Give yourself time to get into the flow of things. Be there for your son with a positive and encouraging word. Post here on PTO when you need to talk or just read through the many many posts and glean information.

Thinking of you ~

chrisjanna · #5 11-20-2011, 03:48 PM

Thank You so much for taking the time to respond to my message. I realize that my son's situation could be much worse and overall I am grateful that he will not be going into prison alone as he has spend almost a yr in the jail and has made friends that I hope will help him when he arrives.

I appreciate the info regarding his property and I'll be sure to check on that right away. One more question: Devin said that I should put money on his books before he gets moved because he will get the entire amount with deductions. Does that sound right??

**nevaeh2morrow** · #6 11-20-2011, 05:04 PM

yes, you can put money on his account before he is moved and it will transfer with him. One thing you can do once he is at his "home" prison is to only send $10.00 per week. They do not deduct anything if he does not have more than $10.00 on his books at a time. So, in other words, put $10.00 on his books then he can buy what he wants for that week and then when that is taken off his books you can put another $10.00 on his books for the next week. You can also send money labeled for mail account only. That money will go directly to his mail account so he can buy stamped envelopes and they don't deduct from that account either.

chrisjanna · #7 11-20-2011, 06:44 PM

Will 10.00 a week be enough to get hygiene products and of course, junk food!! He's 19 and this kid can eat!! lol!
You have been a huge help and I can't thank you enough for that. I am so glad I found this web site and so thankful for women like you that reach out to others who need comfort.

Scott · #8 11-20-2011, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjanna

Will 10.00 a week be enough to get hygiene products and of course, junk food!!

$10 ($40 a month) is a lot for some inmates. Welcome to PTO and I hope you are able to find some answers to the many questions you have here.

I was 20 when I first went to prison. It was quite an educational experience for me, and continues to be an awakening process.

It's important to remember that it's not all bad, although it doesn't seem that way now. Each day there are opportunities to become a better, stronger, more insightful person - the trick is you have to be open to the possibility for change and transformation. At 19 not everyone is.

**nevaeh2morrow** · #9 11-21-2011, 02:25 PM

My husband tells me that $40.00 a month is plenty although he will welcome more when I can send it

My son is not in prison now but my husband is..... sheesh! My son got by just fine with that amount too. My husband tells me he would much rather I spend the money on phone calls!

You are very welcome and I'm here if you ever want to chat!

abcortez · #10 11-22-2011, 11:08 PM

My son was 24 when he went to prison. He's now 25. In the beginning I didn't worry about the whole 10 dollars a week. They took 55% but was well worth it for my piece of mind for him to have what he needed. It takes some time for them to get use to the prison food. With the budget cuts they are feeding them less now. Send as much as you can. From what I understand a portion does go for his fines and restitution anyway, so I figured it will be less he has to pay when he gets out anyway. Once he gets to his Home prison he can get a job and make a little bit of money too. So in my opinion....send as much as you can in the beginning. He will let you know when to start cutting it down. My son was calling me everyday, and now calls me every other day or every 3 days to help cut down the cost. I have to drive 7 hours round trip and that is a big cost too. I could see him every weekend, but we both decided that every two weeks was doable. Especially with the holidays it's good to visit as much as possible.

chrisjanna · #11 11-23-2011, 11:44 PM

Thank you for the info. I really appreciate it.
7 hours??? I live in Tacoma so it looks like I'll have to suffer through the same long car ride. I'm sure what will be waiting for me at the other end will make it all worth it!! Do you know if a cheaper method of travel is availble such as, train?