When I was in prison, nothing made me happier than a visit from a loved one. I look forward to each visit with crazy anticipation, and when the moment finally arrives, those four hours fly by too quickly.
Most prisons have visiting hours on weekends, but the number, length and schedule of visits varies by facility because of their varying capacities to accommodate visitors. Some facilities only allow immediate family members (spouse, children, parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, and step relatives), while others may allow visits from anyone on the inmate’s approved visitor list.
Usually, an inmate can only have one visit per day, and there is always a limit to the number of people who can visit an inmate at a time.
Before you visit your inmate for the first time, make sure Know the rules of the facility before you go.And, if you want to know what you should talk about during your visitRemember, your fellow inmates are happy to see you and will want to talk about anything.
But what if you have more than one relative in prison? Which brings us to today’s topic: Can you be on the two inmate visitation lists?
In this blog post, I’ll cover the following topics:
- How to Get Approved Visitation with Your Inmate
- Can anyone visit prison inmates?
- How do you get on the visitation list for multiple prisoners?
How to Get Approved Visitation with Your Inmate
Nearly every state and federal prison requires all potential visitors to fill out a visitor application form in order to obtain approval from the prison administration. Visitation is a huge security risk, so the federal Bureau of Prisons and state departments of corrections are very picky about who they allow into their facilities.
To be approved for access, you first need to obtain and complete an application form. Ask your inmate to send you a blank application form to fill out by phone or letter.Some prisons can actually complete the application form online, if this is the case we will make sure to Prison Insights Links are provided when available.
After completing the form, it should be returned to the address provided. They will then complete a criminal record check. If no issues are found, you will be added to the visit list. Normally, prisoners will be notified of their status and it is their responsibility to notify you of the decision.
Do not attempt to visit your inmate until you have been notified of official approval.
If you try to visit with approval and get added to the prisoner list, you will be refused and your time will be wasted.
Can anyone visit prison inmates?
Can’t. There is no guarantee that you will be allowed to visit your inmate. Some facilities allow immediate family visits anyway, but most require you to fill out an application form and get it approved. Immediate family members—as defined by the BOP—are defined as: mother, father, stepparent, adoptive parent, brother, sister, spouse, and children.
Ex-offenders may or may not be approved for visitation, depending on their criminal history, release status, and mandatory approval from their supervising probation and parole officers. Additional information, such as a marriage or birth certificate, may be required before final visitor approval can be granted to a spouse or child.
Relatives who may be added to an inmate’s visitation list include grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and in-laws. Other types of permitted visitors include: friends/colleagues (usually no more than 10), foreign officials, members of religious groups and clergy, members of civic groups, former or future employers, sponsors, parole counselors and lawyers.
If you are the victim of a crime committed by this person – especially a crime of a sexual or violent nature – you will most likely not be allowed to visit the prisoner. Also, if you did not know the prisoner before entering prison, you may be denied visitation opportunities.
If you are part of the media, visitation is a special category and you need special permission from the prison administration to visit prisoners.
How do you get on the visitation list for multiple prisoners?
Normally, you don’t. A visitor can only be on the visitation list for one inmate unless you are proven to be an immediate family member of more than one inmate.
Have you ever been denied access to a prison visiting room? Let us know what happens in the comments below.
Sources: General Visiting Information Visitation Information