How is it determined WHERE the inmate will serve the time? Close to home, far from home,Federal or state facilty ?

The only easy part of your question Vicki is whether they go to a federal or state prison. If they break a federal law and are tried in a federal court then they go to a federal prison. If they break a state law and are tried in a state court one of two things can happen....if they are sentenced to a year or less then they serve their time in the county jail where they committed the crime...over a year they go to a state prison.

If they do state time then normally they go to a reception center...which is usually part of an existing prison where they are evaluated and given the chance to aclimatize to being incarcerated, (as if that ever happens), and then a decision is made where to send them. Because the prisons are so full in most states it is usually a matter of sending them to the one with a bed available....but sometimes they will be sent based on the security risk they represent. The higher the security risk the tougher the prison.

While some DOC's claim they try to keep inmates close to their families the fact of the matter is that I have not seen very much of that. DOC's are not always very honest....for example in the prison my Pen Pal is in it says under the list of programs available that they have "distance learning facilities" which use computers....and they do...but it is for staff only! But you or I reading the list would think that would be a pretty good opportunity for an inmate.

I thnk it is fair to say that in states like Florida, Texas, California and a couple of others all they do is warehouse bodies wherever they can cram them.

Tom

__________________
An eye for an eye and soon the whole world is blind!

Thank you ,Tom. That is very helpful and does answer my question.