How To Visit an Inmate In Prison

There are several steps to follow when visiting a loved one or a family member in prison. The guidelines for visiting an inmate are almost similar, but they may slightly differ depending on the type of facility holding the prisoner.  

Inmates are usually under the local state Department of Corrections, or they can be serving their sentence in federal prisons. All the federal correctional facilities are under the Bureau Of Prisons(BOP).  

To visit an inmate, you first need to know the facility holding them. This article gives step-by-step guidelines for visiting a prisoner in state and federal institutions. 

How To Visit a Federal Prisoner  

The federal Bureau of Prisons controls many prisons across America. Visiting a prisoner in their facilities will require you to follow their guidelines. To ensure a successful visit, you should follow these steps; 

1. Locate the inmate 
2. Get approval to visit 
3. Study the procedures, rules, and regulations of visiting a federal prisoner 
4. Locate the prison’s address and its visiting schedules 
5. Conduct the visit 

Locating a Federal Prisoner

You will need to know the facility where your friend or family member is serving their sentence to plan a visit. Even if you are familiar with the prison where they’re doing their time, confirming that they are still there is always a good idea. 

The government can move prisoners to facilities that offer specific programs and courses. The programs aid inmates in integrating with society once they finish their sentence. An inmate can also receive a transfer if there is a severe risk to the prisoner’s security or any individual or group.  

The inmate could also get a transfer to another facility due to a medical condition. If they cannot receive proper treatment in their initial prison, they can be transferred to a facility that will aid in treating or managing their medical condition. 

Follow the steps below to locate any inmate in federal prison: 

1.  Visit The Bureau Of Prisons Website

The Federal Bureau of Prisons documents all the prisoners in their custody. They also maintain an online database that is available to the public. The information is available on their website, and you can easily search for a prisoner by their name or inmate number. 

2.  Click On ‘Inmates.’

There is an inmate icon on the homepage of the federal bureau of prisons webpage. Click on the icon and then select ‘find inmate.’ 

3.  Enter the Inmate’s Details

You can search for an inmate by use of one of the following numbers; 

• FBI number 
• BOP Register number 
• DCDC number 
• INS number 

A search using the numbers usually gives you a direct hit, as the numbers are unique to every inmate. 

You can still search for the inmate by name if you do not know their numbers. When searching by name, you can use additional information such as age, race, and gender to narrow your search. 

A search by name can give you multiple hits, as inmates can often share names, so you may need to scroll down to find your loved one. 

The search results will provide sufficient details to help you identify your friend or family member. The information will include the following; 

• Date of release 
• Inmate’s full names 
• Age 
• Race 
• The correctional facility 
• Register Number 
• Mugshot 

 Getting Approval to Visit

To visit a prisoner in federal prison, you must first be approved by the Bureau of Prisons. The inmate should have you on their visiting list; otherwise, you cannot see them. 

Once the prisoner arrives at a new federal prison, they can create a visiting list. Once the inmate notes down the individuals they want to get a visit from, the facility’s officials conduct a background check with the appropriate authority to determine their suitability.  

The BOP conducts the background check to ensure your visit will not cause any problems for the institution. 

The approval process takes place through the following stages; 

1.  The Prisoner Receives a Visitor Information Form

The federal institution holding the prisoner provides them with a visitor information form. They fill out their section, which includes the visitor’s name and the inmate’s name and registration number. 

2.  Inmate Mails a Copy of the Visit Information Form to Potential Visitors

Once the inmate has filled out their portion of the form, they must send a copy to the potential visitor.  

3. Potential Visitor Fills Out the Form 

When an inmate wants you to be one of their visitors, you will receive a form. You must fill out your personal information if you intend to visit them. You don’t have to fill out the document if you do not want to visit that inmate. 

If you are unwilling to give out some of your information, you can provide the only information you are comfortable providing. However, partially filling out the form could delay your approval or cause the government to disapprove your request until you provide additional information. 

Failing to fill out all the information has no penalties. However, you can receive a fine of up to $250,000 if you provide false information on the visitor form. 

4.  The Potential Visitor Sends the Form to the Inmate’s Address

When you fill out the form, you should send it back to the inmate’s address. Please ensure you send the document to the address found on the form. 

5.  The BOP Conducts a Background Check

The federal Bureau of Prisons may contact you for more information to approve your visit request. They may also contact the NCIC and any applicable law enforcement agency to get more information about you. 

6.  The Facility Approves or Disapproves the Request

Once the institution carries out the background check, it approves or disapproves the potential visitor. The facility gives the inmate the information. The prisoner usually has to notify the individuals who did not qualify to visit. 

Procedure, Rules, and Regulations For Visiting a Federal Prisoner

The government maintains strict rules that every visitor must adhere to when visiting a friend or family member in prison. You will need to study the following; 

• Dress code 
• Visiting duration 
• Physical contact 
• General behavior 

1.  Dress code

You must adhere to a strict dress code when visiting an inmate. If you do not wear the right clothes, the institution can deny you entry to see the individual. You should not wear revealing or provocative clothes during a prison visit. 

Each prison has its dressing regulation, so you should consult the specific institution on what you should wear. However, the following clothes are generally not allowed in any federal prison; 

• Bathing suits 
• Backless tops 
• Crop tops and halter tops 
• Short skirts and miniskirts 
• Clothes that resemble inmates’ uniforms 
• Leotards and spandex 
• Hats and caps 
• Sleeveless clothes 
• High-cut slit dresses or skirts 
• See-through clothes 
• Low-cut blouses or dresses 

2.  Visiting Duration

The law allocates each prisoner at least four hours of visiting time per month. The holding facility can reduce the visit time and the number of visitors for various reasons, such as reducing overcrowding in the visiting area. 

The facility can also add more hours of visits for an inmate if the circumstances allow. You should consult with the institution holding your friend or family member to determine when and how many times you can visit. 

3. Physical Contact 

Appropriate kisses, hugs, and handshakes can be allowed at the end or the beginning of a visit. The prison oversees and regulates the physical contact between visitors and prisoners. They will limit it to prevent contraband exchange and maintain order in the visiting area. 

You cannot have conjugal visits with inmates under the Federal Bureau of Prisons. 

4.  General Behavior

Since the visiting hours fall within the same time for all prisoners, many people often visit the inmates at one particular time. All the visitors must carry themselves with dignity and maintain order and quiet in the visiting room. 

The officers can ask visitors to leave if there is an incident with any prisoners during a visit. 

Visiting Schedule and Prison Address

You must be sure of the prison address at which your loved one is serving their sentence. The information is usually on the visitation form. The inmate should tell you the visiting schedule and the address of the facility. All federal prisons maintain a strict visitation schedule. Most visits are mainly on weekends and holidays. 

Prisons can limit the visits to weekends and holidays or also allow visitation during other days of the week. 

The visitation schedule can differ due to the following factors; 

• Prison’s location: Depending on the convenience and limitations of the prison’s location, your visiting schedule will be different for each institution. 
• Visiting area: Prisons have limited visiting space. They can reduce the visiting time and change the visiting schedule depending on the available space. 
• Inmate visitation needs: Prisoners may require special circumstances visits, including legal and medical visits. If you are the legal representation of the inmate, your visitation may differ from regular visitors. If an inmate needs unique visits from a medical professional, they may get additional visits. 
• Type of prison: The visiting schedule will be different for different levels of correctional facilities. Maximum security prisons generally have more strict visiting guidelines. The plans in such facilities can easily change if there is an incident that can compromise the security of the inmates or the public. 

Conducting the Visit

Once you get approved, know the prison’s address, and study the visitation guidelines and schedules, you can make the visit. You will have to cater for the cost of visiting the prison as the government does not offer any reimbursement. 

You will need to search for the best mode of communication to get in and out of the correctional facility. Contact the prison for directions and the public means available, if any, to the prison. 

Who Can Visit a Federal Prisoner? 

The Federal Bureau of Prisons generally allows three groups of visitors to visit an inmate. The inmate can add the following to their visiting list; 

1. Immediate family: They include parents, step-parents, foster parents, siblings, spouses, and children. 
2. Relatives: They entail grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and in-laws. 
3. Other approved individuals: An inmate can also request visitation from unrelated relatives. The individuals who can visit the prisoners include; employers, clergy, sponsors, foreign officials, civic group members, attorneys, and up to ten friends and associates. 

How to Visit a State Prisoner 

If you have a loved one serving their sentence in a state prison, you can visit them by following the guidelines of the Department of Corrections. As with federal prisoners, it is a good idea first to search for the inmate to be sure they are still in the facility. 

Locating a State Prisoner 

Most state corrections departments maintain an online database containing all the inmates in their institutions. You can log in to their websites and conduct an inmate search using the inmate’s DOC number or search by their name. 

Get Approved 

The state prisoner has to add you to their visitor list. The DOC will have to approve you as a visitor who does not post any risks to qualify for a prison visit.  

Schedule a Visit 

If you are on the visitors’ list, you can contact the prison to schedule a visit. You will be given a slot depending on the available time the prisoner has that month and the availability of the visiting room space. 

If there has been a cancellation of the visit, most institutions will notify you via mail. 

You should follow all the guidelines during the visit, which include wearing proper attire and behaving in a calm and orderly manner. 

Video Visits 

Some correctional facilities allow inmates to have video visitation. You can call the inmate via video and interact with them for a given period. Just like an in-person visit, you will need to get approved by the institution to carry out the call. 

You should contact the facility holding the inmate to inquire if they allow video visits and their terms and conditions.  

Is it Hard to Visit an Inmate in Prison? 

For obvious reasons, you will have to go through various processes to visit an inmate. However, visiting an inmate can be straightforward if you meet all the criteria. Ensure you locate the facility holding the prisoner and follow all their guidelines, and you can regularly visit a friend or family member in prison.