If she has just been sentenced, then after sentencing she was remanded back to the county jail. She will be at the county jail anywhere from three weeks to three months.

She will be there until they ship her off to the reception center somewhere in Florida. There they will do several things----1) they will determine which programs she needs to take while in prison, 2) they will determine which security prison she will be sent, 3) she will get a bunch of medical examinations----psychological tests, a dental exam, eye exam. They may give her a couple of immunizations there. I think I received a tetanus shot but that is all. 4) they will probably give her a TABE----Test of Adult Basic Education----to determine her education level, and 5) they will determine if she has any special needs if she is handicapped.

The programs she will take in prison will be determined by her crime. Obviously, if she had a drug problem, they will want her to take a drug rehab program. I know she is probably not a sex offender, but as an example, if she was, they would want her to take the SOTP---Sex Offender Treatment Program. They also have education classes if she wants to get a GED----if she does not already have a high school diploma. They also have several anger management classes. I am not sure what they are called now, as it is different in every state. They also offer classes that teach inmates how to write a check, balance a bank book, and other life skills.

Without knowing her history or her crime, I don't know what they will want her to enroll in, but those are some of the more common programs they have in prison.

When determining the security level prison she will be housed----maximum, medium, or minimum-----there are two main factors they consider---1) the nature of the crime and if it is a violent or non-violent offense, and 2) the length of her sentence. I don't know her crime, but being a female, it is probably non-violent and I am sure she does not have a really long sentence, so she will be sent to a minimum security prison and later to a work camp.

Don't worry, my puppy dog could server time at a minimum security prison. Everyone there is at the back end of their sentence and they don't want to make trouble for another inmate as it would push their release date back. She will do fine there even if this is her first time being incarcerated.
She will be at this assessment/reception center anywhere from two to four weeks. When they have a open bed into the Florida prison system, she will be shipped there.

Prison is NOT like you see on TV or in the movies, so if you have watched programs like MSNBC's "Lockup" and been scared to death, don't be. Prison, especially a women's prison, is boring most of the time.

Here is a link to a web site, prisontalk.com, which will give you a lot of information about sending money, visitation, etc.

http://tinyurl.com/q79v3t8

You will notice that the above link is to the Florida section and that section is subdivided into other sections that give specific information.

I am a guy if you did not know, but a few of the ladies here have loved ones in the Florida system, and the other ladies are fairly knowledgeable about prison life. They are a really good bunch of ladies and they can answer most of your questions.

If you ever have a problem you cannot figure out, message me. I am around all these boards a lot and I will get back with you.

This will be a difficult journey but you have a lot of great ladies here that can guide you through. There may be times you think this is all too scary and confusing, but you will be fine.

Just remember-----in the history of this country, thousands upon thousands of young ladies have gone to prison and 99% of them came out fine. There is absolutely no reason your family and your daughter cannot do the same.

As I said, I will also always be here if you need me.

Good luck and God Bless you,

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