Todd Chrisley Says He's Being Mistreated in Prison Due to Celebrity Status

Todd Chrisley believes he's being treated differently from the rest of his fellow inmates in federal prison ... and he thinks his fame has everything to do with it.

Chrisley's attorney, Jay Surgent, tells TMZ ... Todd believes his celebrity status has resulted in some odd occurrences while locked up at FPC Pensacola in Florida -- even telling us Todd thinks someone took his photo while he was sleeping.

He also claims he hasn't been receiving any mail and thinks it's getting destroyed ... though, he has no clue what the motive would be for someone doing that.

Jay tells us Todd's living conditions are terrible, too, claiming the place is plagued by bad plumbing, possible mold, and no A.C. to help combat the brutal heat. He also claims his wife Julie's struggling with similarly bad conditions over at FMC Lexington, KY, where she's doing her time.

For what it's worth, a rep for the Bureau of Prisons tells us the safety of inmates is a top priority, and both prisons have "contingency plans to address a large range of concerns ... including ventilation temperatures."

Regardless, Jay says Todd submitted an application to try to get switched over to home confinement. Worth a shot, but that seems unlikely, considering the fact the Chrisleys are doing hard time.

TMZ broke the story, Todd and Julie reported to their prisons in January -- Todd got a 12-year sentence, while Julie got 7 ... after the couple was convicted in their bank fraud and tax evasion case.

We're told the plan moving forward is to explore all legal avenues to address the prison conditions.