Getting Approved to Visit Someone at Alger: What to Expect During the up-to-4-Week Wait

MDOC uses several forms for visiting applications at Alger, and which ones you need depends on your situation. The full list includes CAJ-334 (Visitor List), CAJ-103 (MDOC Visiting Application), CAJ-356 (Outreach Volunteer Application), CAJ-1069 (Visiting Application – Attorney, DHHS (Child Welfare) & SOM Employee), CAJ-290, and CAJ-1037 (LEIN Request).

One key piece happens on your loved one's end: the CAJ-334 Visitor List. This is how the prisoner identifies who they want visits from - immediate family, outreach volunteers, and up to ten other people. The Resident Unit Manager (or designee) signs and dates it when the facility receives it.

1. Use MiLogin to complete the online visiting application - once you finish the steps in MiLogin, your application is submitted.
2. Wait for processing - processing times may take up to 4 weeks.
3. Watch your email for the decision - after your application is processed, the response is sent to the email address you provided, letting you know whether you can visit.

1. Complete a visiting application and mail it to the facility - send it to the facility where the prisoner is located.
2. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) - the facility uses your SASE to mail you its response after the application is processed.
3. Plan for the same processing window - processing time may take up to 4 weeks.

The waiting is often the hardest part. Processing can take up to 4 weeks, and how you applied determines how you'll hear back. Applied through MiLogin? You'll get an email. Mailed your application? The facility sends the decision back using the self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) you included.

If you're not on the prisoner's Visiting List, you can't fix that from the outside - visitors have to be added at the prisoner's request. Contact your loved one and ask them to add you. They'll use the CAJ-334 Visitor List form to identify the people they want visits from.

Professional visits move faster. When an attorney submits a CAJ-1069 visiting application, the facility processes it within two business days. Other professional visitor applications may take longer.

Certain situations - like visits involving minors or professional visitors - require extra paperwork. The MDOC visiting forms for Alger include CAJ-334, CAJ-103, CAJ-356, CAJ-1069, CAJ-290, and CAJ-1037. Start there to match your situation to the right application.