Visits to NY State Prisons

How To Go To Visit Prison

Some tips we have learned during our many visits to New York State Prisons, aka Correctional Facilities

Much injustice exists in the criminal justice world of NY. Visitors are often made to feel like they themselves are suspect offenders. I would not have experienced this injustice that so many New Yorkers suffer if it were not for Luke's heroism. As part of his legacy and in his honor, I want to ease the burden of prison visits any way possible. If you have any advice to add to this list, please comment. 

NOTE: These policies vary somewhat among facilities and are subject to change. However, I am providing the most basic points, which will be helpful in most cases. 

The number of visitors allowed and the visit days and times are different for each facility. If you have any questions about when you will be able to visit, call ahead. Some places alternate by first letter of inmate's last name. Some places have visitation based on the inmate's DIN number. Other places have open visitation every day.

Here is a detailed description of visiting at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY.

(Links will open in a new window.) For general, statewide and system-wide information, this is the website for the NY Department of Corrections and Community Service (DOCCS).   http://www.doccs.ny.gov/  

For information about visitation specifically, check out this page. There are pdf documents that list visit times, but again, these are not always up to date. Call ahead if you have any questions. The COs do not care about your 6 hour trip. If you are in violation of policy, your visit will be denied. The visiting program guidelines listed here give you a good idea of what to expect, but these are NOT all inclusive and do NOT reflect the policies of every facility.

• NO DRUGS. NO MARIJUANA. NO WEED. Don't waste an hours-long trip only to get turned away! Facilities will do random tests for drug residue, and they may have dogs sniffing your vehicle, person, and stuff. If you are going to make the trip to visit a loved one in prison, don't spoil it by having any residue anywhere. Your visit will be denied if something is found. The dogs are eager to please their handlers.
• Bring your valid (NOT Expired!) photo ID and make sure the address you write on your sign-in form matches the address on your ID.
• If you are bringing children under age 18, you will need their birth certificates identifying the inmate as a parent to that child. If the child's parent is not present, written consent from the parent giving permission for their child to visit the offender will need to be presented.
• NO cell phones allowed in the visit room. 
• NO wallets or purses in the visit room.
• Ladies, wear a bra that has NO METAL. Even the clips on the closure will set off the metal detector. It is not just the underwire that has to be avoided. If you have metal in your bra, you will be forced to go into the restroom, remove the bra, place it in a paper bag, pass through the metal detector again, then put your bra back on. It is much simpler just to wear a sports-type bra and avoid the hassle.

At Elmira and other facilities, we have watched so many women have to do the "walk of shame." Not only is it obviously embarrassing for these women, with the majority of COs being men, it also significantly adds to processing time for all the visitors.

• Some facilities require you to remove your shoes to pass through the metal detector, others do not. You will have to remove any belt and empty your pockets. You will be allowed to bring your ID and money for vending machines into the visit room. Nothing else is generally allowed. 
• You may not wear anything around your wrists. That includes hair ties, bracelets, watches. Keep earrings minimal, and necklaces are generally limited to a religious charm. No hats, although a simple knit hat for winter may be allowed depending on the facility and the CO on duty. Many facilities do not permit hooded sweatshirts, though some do.
• Wear closed-toe shoes. No sandals or slides.
• Wear simple tops. Remember the idea is to promote a family atmosphere. Nothing skin-tight. No plunging necklines. Cover all of your belly. No wild images or words.
• Wear simple pants. Nothing skin-tight. No tears or holes. No excessive snaps, zippers, buttons, or other metal decoration. 

We witnessed COs deny an elderly woman's visit because she wore dressy slacks that had the zipper on the back. Because the posted policy included the phrase "in the front" in its guidelines on pants closures, the poor woman was denied the visit unless she could find another pair of pants that would meet the requirements. In the northern NY town of Dannemora at Clinton Correctional Facility, where this particular instance occurred, the shopping options are few. We don't know what ended up happening with her visit, but the next time we were there, we noticed the policy had been changed--thankfully! I had even suggested somewhat cynically to another CO that if the lady had gone into the restroom and put her pants on backwards, perhaps she would have been permitted to go to her visit. He did not deny that may have been the case. The policy now simply states that pants are to have a single fastener. Nothing about front, back, or side.

• Many facilities provide lockers in Hospitality Centers, which are open on weekends. (Auburn is one facility that does NOT have a Hospitality Center, and visitors are forced to wait on the side of the road without any shelter.) In most of the cases where lockers are available, you insert a quarter and then take the key with you into the visit. At least in Dannemora, at Clinton Correctional Facility, if you want your items secured, you have to bring your own padlock. Remember: you will not be allowed to bring anything into the visit room except your ID, money for the vending machines, and a locker key if applicable.

Much injustice exists in the criminal justice world of NY. Visitors are often made to feel like they themselves are suspect offenders. If you have any advice to add to this list, please comment.