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Understanding the 18-approved-visitor limit and open-enrollment windows in NC prisons

NC prisons cap each incarcerated person's approved visitor list at 18 people, and that limit affects more than just in-person visits. Here's how the maximum works, who doesn't count toward it, and how the six-month open-enrollment cycle controls when changes can be made.

• 3 min read Verified from official sources

Each incarcerated person in North Carolina can have up to 18 approved visitors. That total includes both adults and minors, so children count the same as adults. If your family is large or several close friends want to visit, think of the visitor list as a limited roster. Plan ahead for who should fill those spots.

Good to know: Only people who are listed as approved visitors are allowed to deposit money into an offender’s account.

Video visits: Video visiting is limited to people who are on the offender’s approved visitors list.

Certain official visitors don't count toward the 18-person cap. Attorneys, law enforcement, and consular officials are excluded. So are local and state Family Services and Juvenile Court officials. These visitors still need to register with the facility before coming, but they won't take up a spot on the list.

Reminder: Attorneys, law enforcement, and consular officials still need to register with the facility before they can visit, even though they do not count toward the 18-person limit.

You can't change the approved visitor list whenever you want. NC prisons use an "open enrollment" schedule that runs every six months, based on the offender's admission date. Once you know that admission month, you can predict which two months each year allow list changes.

  1. Find the admission month: The open-enrollment cycle is tied to the month the person was admitted.
  2. Count forward six months: That gives you the other open-enrollment month each year.
  3. Use the January example to sanity-check: If the admission date is in January, open enrollment falls in January and July.

Even with statewide rules in place, facility wardens have discretion to adjust how visits run when security or operations require it. That can mean changes to visiting times, frequency, duration, or the number of visits allowed. If something seems different than expected, warden discretion is usually the reason. Confirm details before you make the trip.

S5

  • ✓ Schedule in-person visits by appointment. Call or email the prison where the person is housed to set it up.
  • ✓ Call the day before you go to confirm the facility’s visitation status.
  • ✓ If you’re using video visiting, you can do it on-demand or schedule a future time and date using the Getting Out Visits app or from a computer.
  • ✓ Plan around where your person is actually housed. Offenders cannot be assigned to a specific facility just to make in-person visiting more convenient.

When deciding who should fill the 18 spots, start with people who will realistically show up or use video visiting. Prioritize immediate family, caregivers bringing minors, and anyone who needs to handle support tasks tied to being an approved visitor (like depositing money). If more than 18 people want to be involved, talk as a group about who will visit most often now and who can wait until the next open-enrollment window without losing meaningful contact.

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