Visitation Questions — Ask The Inmate

Federal visitation is run very much by-the-book, and for an FCI Low facility you will have "contact" with your inmate. Upon arrival you will enter and give your ID (you will have already gone through an approval process beforehand filling out a form your inmate mailed you). Once you are accepted for the visit you will proceed through a metal detector like you'd see at an airport. You may hug and kiss upon greeting and leaving but do not let...

It is possible, and the mother-son relationship is one of the stronger arguments you can bring to a warden's office. Wardens do grant waivers in situations like this, and family visitation, particularly from a parent, is something many administrators are willing to accommodate when the circumstances are reasonable. The nature of the pending charge is the biggest variable. A minor charge that poses no obvious threat to facility security or the inmate's wellbeing is going to be received very differently than...

The good news is that most facilities do not restrict visitation strictly to immediate family. The definition of who can visit is broader than people often assume. As long as you pass the background check and are not a convicted felon or former inmate, there is a strong chance you can get approved as a visitor. Facilities run every applicant through a criminal database check as part of the standard approval process, and a clean record is the primary requirement. The...

That depends on the facility. Some require that you fill out a visitation form that is sent into the national crime database (NCIC). Most if not all jails and prisons will nt allow a felon or former inmate to visit a current inmate without pre-approval for a special visit by the warden. There are other facilities that will allow a visit with your driver's license. You should call them directly to make sure you are in compliance before making the...

What his mother told you is not accurate as a general rule, and you should not take her word for it without verifying directly with the facility. Visitation policies vary by institution, but restricting visits to legally married spouses and blood relatives only is not standard practice at most prisons and jails in this country. Facilities typically allow approved visitors who pass a background check, regardless of whether they are family by blood or marriage. Being a girlfriend, a fiancée, or...

It depends entirely on the facility and whoever processes the form on the receiving end. Some facilities will let something like this slide, particularly if the form is otherwise complete, legitimate, and clearly not an attempt to circumvent the process. A misdirected visitor questionnaire is a minor administrative hiccup, not a security concern, and staff with common sense will sometimes just process it and move on. Others will reject it on procedural grounds regardless of the circumstances. Facilities that run tight administrative...