Chatham County Jail Inmates

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So you're going to Chatham County Jail? Actually, more likely if you're researching this topic you know somebody else who is currently in the jail.

Of course being in jail is never fun, but a lot of Chatham County Jail inmates report that the jail isn't as "rough" as some of the harder jails in the US (such as Cook County in Chicago). So if you know somebody in jail, at least look on the bright side - it could be worse.

Time off for good behavior

Let's get the bad news out of the way first - Chatham doesn't offer time off for good behavior. There have been rumors, however, that with overcrowding becoming more of an issue that they will implement some type of procedure. Other county jails around the US often offer a reduction of 33% (1 day off for 2 served) - whether this is a similar format to what Chatham may eventually institute is unknown, but it at least gives you the idea that there is some potential.

Chatham County Jail gets cold

A lot of ex-inmates report that the jail is very cold inside. Actually, this isn't surprising - jail operators often keep the temperatures down to slow the spread of infection. In the past few years many jails have seen outbreaks of staph (or MRSA, which is even worse), so the low temperatures are just a way to combat the problem.

If you know somebody in jail you should put some money on their "books" - this is like a checking account for inmates. With these funds they can purchase thermal underwear on commissary, a necessity even for a short stay.

Food

Inmates get three meals a day - you're probably not surprised, but it could be worse. Inmates in Maricopa County Jail (Arizona) only get two meals a day - can you imagine? The food in Chatham isn't very good - you should also give your inmate some extra money to buy food on commissary.

Passing the time

Of course a lot of inmates play cards and other games with each other, but the favorite time-wasting activity is watching the TV. Inmates have to be careful with the TV, though, because fights often breakout between different people with different preferences.

If you're going to watch TV in jail and you want to avoid any problems you should just go along with whatever people are watching. It's really not worth it. Reading books and letters is also a good way to pass the time.

Sending books

You can't just take your used books to the jail and expect them to get to your inmate. This would cause too many security problems with the jail (criminals are very innovative when it comes to smuggling drugs).

Rather you have to send books directly from the retailer and they can only be brand new books. Popular retailers are Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Borders. A lot of people send inmates self-help books and things like that - unless they specifically request it you should probably get them something more interesting to read or it might just end up in the trash.

Going outside

One of the nicest things about the Chatham County Jail is that they allow the inmates to go outside once a day (weather permitting). A lot of jails never allow inmates to spend any time outside, so this is actually a pretty good privilege.

The outside area is only about half the size of a basketball court, so it's not a ton of room to run around, but at least you can get a breath of fresh air.