Why Visits Are Usually Not Allowed During Diagnostic Processing at Arrendale (and what to do)

"Diagnostic offender" status at Lee Arrendale State Prison means your loved one is in a short-term processing phase - not a permanent housing assignment. According to Georgia Department of Corrections guidance, diagnostic offenders typically transfer to another facility before becoming eligible for visitation (once bed space opens up). Visits during this period are limited to extenuating circumstances. That's why families often hear they can't schedule anything yet.

Lee Arrendale State Prison - often just called "Arrendale" - is the diagnostic facility for women entering Georgia DOC custody. If someone recently entered the system and shows as being at Arrendale for diagnostics, visitation will look different than it will at her permanent facility.

All Georgia DOC facilities require appointments for visits - Arrendale included. Even when someone becomes eligible for visitors, you can't just show up. You request a scheduled visit and wait for confirmation.

Before scheduling anything, you need to be approved as a visitor. Start with the Visitation Request Form - fill it out and submit it to the facility where your loved one is housed. Until you're approved, you won't be able to schedule a visit.

Ready to request a visit? GDC uses a visitation request form process - you submit your request first, then wait for approval. This "request, then visit" structure is standard. It's also why diagnostic status creates a roadblock: many people transfer out of Arrendale before they ever reach the visitation-eligible stage.

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• ✓ Weekend visits: request cutoff is 5:00 PM on Wednesday of the same week.
• ✓ State holiday visits: request cutoff is 5:00 PM, three days before the holiday.

1. Add someone to an already-scheduled visit - If you already have a scheduled visitation and need to include additional visitors, use GDC’s “Add Visitor” tool to find the scheduled visit and add them.
2. Cancel a scheduled visit you can’t make - If you need to cancel, use GDC’s “Cancel my visit” tool to find the scheduled visitation and cancel it so you’re not making a trip for an appointment you won’t be able to use.

1. Submit the visit request through the GDC visitation request form process - That’s the required starting point for scheduling in Georgia DOC.
2. Clearly explain the extenuating circumstance - GDC’s guidance is that diagnostic offenders at Arrendale are only allowed visitation under extenuating circumstances, so be straightforward about why you’re requesting an exception.
3. Wait for confirmation before making plans - Because diagnostic stays are often short, you want to know whether the request is approved (and whether your loved one is still at Arrendale) before you commit to travel.

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• ✓ Is your loved one still at Arrendale in diagnostic status, or has she already transferred?
• ✓ If you’re requesting a visit during diagnostics, was an extenuating-circumstances exception approved?
• ✓ Since visits are by appointment only, do you have a confirmed scheduled visit (not just a submitted request)?
• ✓ Are you meeting the request deadlines (Wednesday 5:00 PM cutoff for weekend visits; 5:00 PM three days before a state holiday for holiday visits)?

Plans change. If you need to adjust a scheduled visit, GDC has tools for that - you can add visitors to an existing appointment or cancel a visit entirely. Either way, confirm details before you hit the road. During diagnostic processing especially, transfers can happen before a visit ever becomes possible.