Even though someone that you love lives in a correctional facility, it is still possible for you to keep in touch with them and maintain your relationship by visiting them. However, prison visitation can be challenging, including visiting federal prison. One of the parts that makes it challenging is when you have to fill out the visitation form. Feel free to read the post if you want to find the details.
Definition of Federal Visitation Form
Federal visitation form refers to a form that should be completed by the potential visitor before they visit their loved one in an incarcerated facility. With this kind of form, the staff at federal prison will be allowed to tell whether or not someone has a permit to visit. You should check out first the following sample of BOP visitation form.
People Who Are Required to Fill Out Federal Visitation Form
In general, both family members and friends of inmates are allowed to visit them. Apparently, the immediate family members, including mother, father, step mother, step father, foster mother, foster mother, brothers, sisters, spouse, and children, are automatically approved to visit their incarcerated people. These people have to be included in the list of the Pre-Sentence Investigation Report or PSR. However, it is worth noting that for the children who are still under 16 years old, parent or guardian approval is needed before being approved for the visitation.
Apart from the immediate family, it is also possible for some other people to have a chance to visit incarcerated people. These people include:
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- Relatives: Grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles, aunts, brother in-law, sister in-law, cousins
- Other kinds of approved visitors: No more than 10 friends or associates, foreign officials, members of religious groups, members of civic groups, former or prospective employers, sponsors, parole advisors, attorneys
Unlike the immediate family who are automatically approved for inmate visitation, these people mentioned above have to complete and submit a visitation application form first to be approved or added to the visitation list of the inmate.
Filling Out Federal Visitation Form
Usually, the inmate will get a visitor information form once they arrive at a new prison. First of all, they will complete their portion and then send a copy to each potential visitor by mail. Then, the potential visitor will do their part, completing the remaining form fields. Once they have successfully completed the form, they will send the form back to the address of the inmate that is found on the form.
After that, the potential visitor may be asked to provide more background information. If a certain potential visitor is not approved to visit an inmate, the inmate is the one that should tell the potential visitor about this.
Before Filling Out Federal Visitation Form
Before filling out the federal visitation form, you are suggested to locate the inmate first as it is possible for them to be moved to a different facility. There are several possible reasons why an inmate is moved to a different place, including for a medical condition or for security concern. Read also the BOP Visiting Rules.
After Filling Out Federal Visitation Form
Once you have been approved to visit a federal inmate, you should now learn about the visiting rules, regulations, and procedures before the day of the visit comes. The details are as follows:
1. Visiting Duration
It is written in the law that every month, an inmate is allowed to receive a visitation for a minimum of four hours. In order to avoid overcrowding in the visiting room, the number of people who can visit at once can be limited by the Warden.
2. Dress Code
It is a must for every visitor to wear appropriate clothing when visiting an inmate. Do not ever try to wear inappropriate clothing as your visitation may be denied. The kinds of clothing that are usually not permitted include revealing shorts, miniskirts, halter tops, backless tops, bathing suits, hats or caps, see-through garments of any time, sleeveless garments, crop tops, skirts two inches or more above the knee, low-cut blouses or dresses, dress or skirts that have a high-cut split in the back, front or side, leotards, spandex, and clothing that looks similar to the clothing worn by the inmate.
3. Behavior
Aside from learning about the rules and regulations, you should also find out the information about the visiting schedules and how to get to the correctional facility.
During the visit, you must behave well. Make sure to follow the order and watch out for your attitude, unless you have no problem if you are asked by the visiting room officer to leave if either you or the inmate does not behave well.
For anyone who is wondering about the physical contact, usually, handshakes, hugs, and kisses are allowed at the beginning and end of the visit. However, these should not be overly done. There are some limitations that should be followed in order to keep the visiting area well. Talking about physical contact, remember that conjugal visits are not allowed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
4. Visiting Schedules
The visiting days or hours may vary, depending on the correctional facility. Usually, the are visiting hours both on weekdays and weekends. However, the number is higher on weekends compared to the weekdays. That’s why most people prefer to visit the prisons on weekends.
5. Getting There
Keep in mind that no one is responsible for payment or reimbursement for transportation except you. It means you are the one that should arrange transportation to and from the correctional facility where your inmate is held. For anyone who wants to ask something, you are recommended to contact the prison facility. In case you have no idea about the directions, such as how to get to the correctional facility by public transportation, just try to ask them.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, it can be challenging to fill out the federal visitation form as it requires attention to detail. Besides, it also requires a clear understanding of the information requested. If you want to be approved to visit your loved one in the correctional facility, you must follow the rules and guidelines.
