I Worry When my Husband Misses Call Time

Dear The Inmate Connection,

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      I am constantly worrying about my incarcerated husband…. If it’s not one thing I need to worry about, it’s another. Being a prison wife can be very hard, especially not being able to text and call like we used to. I’m looking for guidance on how I can worry less and adjust to being a prison wife.

Sincerely, 

Anonymous 

Dear Anonymous, 

    Having a loved one in prison is certainly worry-inducing. So many things inside of prisons change with little notice, and it can leave prison wives and families wondering why they didn’t hear from their loved one at their usual call time. It is a huge adjustment from having the freedom to call or text your husband any time. Our best advice on how to worry less, is to make an effort to only worry about things that are in your control. Of course, you are going to worry if your husband misses a call one night. But, try to remain positive when this happens. It is natural to think the worst, but often times inmates have no control over their access to the phone. Sometimes facilities are placed on lock-down for non-emergency purposes like a major prison cleaning, staff training, a visiting event, or other activity or event, sometimes planned or unplanned. Most facilities will have an information line or website which is updated during emergency events, lockdowns, or during times where inmates don't have access to phones or tablets. Also, some institutions rotate phone times based on housing units. When inmates are shifted to a different housing unit, sometimes they can miss out on their phone time. If there is any sort of security breach or sometimes a big event happening within the institution, inmates can be locked down in their cells to ensure safety. Although it can be hard to go through the long-list of reasons of why your inmate missed his call time, try to stay positive and remind yourself that your inmate is likely waiting for his opportunity to use the phone, just as you are waiting to hear from him.