Correctional Facilities Visiting Hours
There are over 1.68 million inmates in the United States of America incarcerated in 1,677 adult correctional facilities. All these prisons are required to allow inmates to receive visitation from their family, friends, and lawyers to maintain relationships and for social and judicial support. According to research, inmate visitation reduces recidivism among inmates after their release by up to 26%.
Upon incarceration, all inmates, unless guided otherwise by the court, are allowed to indicate the number of visitors. The number of visitors an inmate can include in the list depends on their state and prison level. Nonetheless, most prisons will allow 5-10 and sometimes 15 visitors.
After inmates indicate their visitors on the list, the State’s Department of Correction or the Federal Bureau of Prison must verify that the visitor is eligible to visit an inmate. The department or the bureau of prisons will notify the inmate of the visitors that have been approved.
However, the inmate may add and remove visitors from the visitation list. They can allow and deny visitation to anyone, including those approved on the list.
What to do if you are not on the inmate’s visitors list
If you are not on the inmate’s list and wish to visit an inmate in prison, you may write to them requesting them to put you on their visitation list. Afterward, you must visit the state’s DOC, BOP, or county sheriff’s offices and complete an inmate visitation request form.
The sheriff, DOC or BOP will forward your request to the inmate, who can approve your permission to visit them. You will be notified if you are eligible or not; it depends on the state where the inmate is incarcerated. They will check if the information you have provided is:
- True and accurate
- You have a criminal record
- If you are on another inmate’s visitors list in the same facility
- You have previously worked or have been incarcerated in the facility
Note that some prisons will allow any prospective visitor to complete a visitor’s request form, whereas some only make visitation forms to be requested by inmates only. This way, the inmate will send you the visitation request form, which you can complete and resend to the prison.
Inmate Visitation Hours
Inmate visitation hours differ from state to state, county to county, prison to prison, inmate classification, sentencing period, and inmate age. All prisons have visitation policies and regulations explaining when you can visit an inmate behind their walls.
Nonetheless, most prisons will allow inmate visitation from 8:00 am to 9:45 pm. However, they have the maximum number of times, and visitors can visit an inmate. For better clarity, you must visit the prison’s visitation policies and regulations to know the hours you can visit your loved one.
However, if your inmate is placed on disciplinary segregation or the jail is on lockdown, you cannot visit an inmate. Again, prisons are not obligated to notify visitors that an inmate is in isolation, or the prison is on lockdown. Instead, you need to conduct a county, state, or federal inmate search to see if your inmate can receive visitation.
Hours Before Inmate Visitation
Most prisons, especially county, state, and federal correctional facilities, do not allow walk-ins as a way of inmate visitation. They will require you to book an appointment to ask permission to visit your inmate.
As some will require up to 48 hours of booking, most allow 24 hours of advanced booking. Depending on your inmate’s correctional facility, you may book the appointment in person at the county sheriff’s office, jail lobby, or online if there is an online option. Some will allow you to book the appointment via email and phone calls.
If you booked an appointment and cannot make it on time, you must cancel it at least six working hours before the scheduled time. If you fail to cancel, the prison administration may either;
- Penalize you for not showing up by paying a fine
- Deny your visitation privileges for up to three months
- Ban you from requesting visitation to see any other inmate under the state DOC
During Visiting Hours
After being permitted the visit, most prisons will require you to be at the prison’s gates at least 15-20 minutes before the allocated visitation time. During these hours, you will be frisked or searched for potential contraband. Note that different state and prisons have their own meaning of the term “prison contraband.” However, mobile phones, drugs, and cash are prohibited in all correctional facilities. You may check with the correctional facility’s website where your loved one is to see what is regarded as contraband.
After you are searched, you will be required to show any form of Identification like a government-issued ID and a school ID or birth certificate for your child if you visit with them. Then, you will be issued a visitor’s consent form outlining all visitation rules, and when you sign, you indicate that you agree to obey them. You may be fined or confined for breaching some of the policies.
However, some will allow you to enter with prescribed EpiPens and inhalers, but most will put the prescription in the jail lobby.
In Prison Visitation Hours
While in prison, the correctional officer will direct you to the room or hall where you may see your inmate. During these hours, entrances to the prison and exits are limited to control the activity inside the prison.
In addition, during these hours, if an inmate is not scheduled to have a visitor, most prisons will require them to be in their cells or dorms, while others will ensure the inmates are in the exercising bay.
In case you require to cater to your child, like breastfeeding or changing them, most prisons have areas for nursing mothers. On the other hand, if you get sick during these hours, you may be rushed to the jail’s emergency room or the nearest hospital by the prison personnel.
If you are done talking to your inmate, you may be escorted out to the jail lobby or out of prison by guards. If you are not supposed to visit an inmate at that hour or your inmate is permitted two visits a day, you can wait outside the prison until the next visitation hours.
