Visiting Policies and Procedures

Visiting policies and procedures in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) set the rules for how approved family, friends, and others can visit people held in federal facilities. The framework comes from 28 C.F.R. Part 540, Subpart D, and from BOP Program Statement 5267.09, "Visiting Regulations." By law, a person in BOP custody is entitled to at least four hours of visiting time each month. Most institutions schedule visits on Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays, and sometimes on weekdays.

Visiting is not open to the public. A person has to be approved and placed on the inmate's visiting list before showing up. The Bureau does not permit conjugal visits at any of its facilities. The rules cover who can be approved, how the approval works, what happens at the gate, and what a visitor is allowed to do once inside.

Overview

The BOP treats visiting as part of how someone stays connected to family and prepares to return home. It also treats the visiting room as a place where contraband can move, so the same rules that make visits possible also limit them. Both goals sit inside the regulations.

Each institution writes a local supplement to Program Statement 5267.09. The supplement sets the actual hours, the number of visitors allowed at one time, the dress code details, and any items that can be carried in. Two prisons can follow the same federal policy and still run their visiting rooms differently. A visitor planning a trip needs the specific facility's rules, not just the general ones.

Visits are usually contact visits, meaning the visitor and the inmate sit in the same open room and can have a brief embrace at the start and end. Higher-security settings and some disciplinary situations use non-contact visits instead, with a partition between the two sides. The next sections walk through approval, scheduling, the types of visits, and conduct.

Getting Approved to Visit

The approval process starts with the inmate, not the visitor. When someone arrives at a new facility, staff give that person a Visitor Information Form. The inmate lists the people they want to visit and mails a copy of the form to each of them.

The potential visitor fills in the rest of the form and mails it back to the inmate at the facility address. Once the form is returned, staff review it. The Bureau may ask for more background information and may contact law enforcement agencies or run the name through the National Crime Information Center for a records check. A visitor is not cleared to come until that review is done and the name is on the approved list.

Immediate family members get the most direct path. The Bureau counts parents, step-parents, foster parents, brothers, sisters, spouses, and children as immediate family. Other relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, and cousins can also be approved. Beyond family, an inmate may have up to ten friends or associates on the list. Clergy, members of a civic group, employers, sponsors, parole advisors, and attorneys can be added as well.

A criminal record does not automatically block someone. Staff weigh the history against the security of the institution and the inmate's situation. Some convictions, and some relationships to the case, can lead to a denial. A person who is denied can ask staff why and can pursue the matter through the administrative remedy process.

Background Checks

The records check is the part that takes time. Because the Bureau can reach out to outside agencies and query national databases, approval is not instant. Visitors are told to wait until they hear that they have been added before they travel. Showing up before clearance does not move the process along and can mean a wasted trip.

Scheduling and Visit Types

Hours are set by each facility, so the first step is to confirm them. Most BOP institutions hold visits on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, and some add weekday hours. The four-hour monthly minimum is a floor written into law, and many prisons offer more than that. The number of people allowed in at once, and whether visits run on a first-come basis or by appointment, depend on the facility's supplement.

The Bureau has been moving parts of this online. Some institutions now use online scheduling so families can reserve a slot rather than line up at the door, and video visiting has been added at facilities as a way to see a loved one without traveling. These tools sit alongside in-person visiting rather than replacing it. The exact options vary by site, so the facility itself is the place to check what is available.

Visits come in a few forms:

• Contact visits. The standard arrangement in lower-security settings. The visitor and inmate are in the same room. A brief embrace is allowed at the beginning and end.
• Non-contact visits. Used in higher-security settings and certain disciplinary cases. A partition separates the two sides and there is no physical contact.
• Attorney visits. Legal visits are handled separately from social ones and are often scheduled on weekdays. The BOP updated its rules on attorney visits, effective February 7, 2024.
• Special visits. Visits outside the normal pattern, such as for someone traveling a long distance or for an urgent family situation, can be arranged with the warden's approval.

Rules and Conduct

At the entrance, a visitor goes through security screening before reaching the visiting room. This is where the dress code and the search procedures come into play, and it is where most denied visits happen.

The dress code rules out clothing that is revealing or that resembles what inmates wear. The Bureau's published list of prohibited items includes revealing shorts, halter tops, see-through garments, crop tops, low-cut blouses, sleeveless garments, miniskirts, backless tops, and clothing that looks like inmate clothing. Individual facilities add their own details in the local supplement, so a visitor should read that before getting dressed for the trip. A dress code violation can mean being turned away.

What a visitor can carry in is tightly limited and is set by each facility. As a general matter, visitors leave most belongings outside, including phones and cameras. Weapons, drugs, and recording devices are never allowed. Anyone unsure about a specific item, such as money for vending machines or medication, should ask the facility ahead of time rather than assume.

Inside the room, supervision is constant. The brief embrace at the start and end of a contact visit is fine, but extended physical contact is not, and staff will step in. Conduct that breaks the rules can end a visit early and can put future visits at risk. Visiting can be suspended for a person who is suspected of trying to bring in contraband or who otherwise violates the rules, and repeated or serious problems can lead to a longer bar.

Visiting also works together with the other ways federal inmates stay in touch. The Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System, known as TRULINCS, lets approved contacts exchange monitored electronic messages and, where available, supports video visiting. Phone calls and mail round out the picture. None of these replace an in-person visit, but they help families keep contact between trips.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I get on a federal inmate's visiting list?

The inmate starts the process. When a person arrives at a facility, staff give them a Visitor Information Form. The inmate sends a copy to each person they want to visit. The visitor fills in the rest of the form and mails it back to the inmate at the facility address. Staff then review it and may run a background check through law enforcement databases before adding the name. Wait until you are notified that you have been approved before traveling.

Q: Who is allowed to visit someone in federal prison?

Immediate family means parents, step-parents, foster parents, brothers, sisters, spouses, and children, and those people have the most direct path. Other relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, and cousins can also be approved. Beyond family, an inmate may list up to ten friends or associates, plus people like clergy, employers, sponsors, and attorneys. Everyone still has to be approved and placed on the list first.

Q: Does the BOP allow conjugal visits?

No. The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not allow conjugal visits at any of its facilities, at any security level. Contact visits permit a brief embrace at the start and end of the visit. Extended physical contact is not allowed and staff will intervene.

Q: What are federal prison visiting hours?

By law, an inmate is entitled to at least four hours of visiting time per month. Most facilities hold visits on Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays, and some add weekday hours. The exact schedule is set by each institution in its local supplement, so confirm the hours with the specific facility before you go.

Q: What should I wear to visit a federal prison?

The dress code rules out revealing or inmate-like clothing. The BOP lists revealing shorts, halter tops, see-through garments, crop tops, low-cut blouses, sleeveless garments, miniskirts, backless tops, and clothing that resembles inmate clothing as prohibited. Each facility adds its own details in a local supplement. A dress code violation can get you turned away, so check the facility's rules in advance.

Q: Can I still see someone if I cannot travel to the prison?

Possibly. Many facilities offer video visiting through TRULINCS, which lets approved contacts connect without traveling. Approved contacts can also exchange monitored electronic messages, make phone calls, and send mail. These options work alongside in-person visits rather than replacing them, and availability varies by facility, so check what the specific institution supports.

Q: Can I be denied a visit?

Yes. Common reasons include not being on the approved visiting list, a dress code violation at the entrance, arriving outside visiting hours, or trying to bring in a prohibited item. Visiting can also be suspended for someone suspected of bringing in contraband. If you are denied, you can ask staff for the reason and pursue it through the administrative remedy process.

See also

• Federal Bureau of Prisons
• TRULINCS
• First Step Act

External links

• BOP: Visiting an Inmate
• Program Statement 5267.09: Visiting Regulations (PDF)