Bedford Hills Correctional Facility

Bedford Hills Correctional Facility holds visits on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. You must arrive by 3:00 PM for regular visits. Weekend visiting follows a last-name rotation, while Wednesday visits are open to everyone—check the published schedule before planning your trip. How often someone can have visitors depends on their custody status. People who've been at Bedford Hills for 30 days or more can have up to two visiting days per week. Those in reception status (under 30 days) are limited to their approved weekend day only. SHU custody allows just one non-legal visit within a seven-day period, with arrival no later than 2:45 PM. Visiting-room capacity matters too. Local visits (within 100 miles) may be ended after three hours on a first-in, first-out basis when the room is crowded. Expect check-in screening that includes the DOCCS body scanner.

Phone calls are the main way to stay in touch with someone at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. Each resident gets three free calls per week, up to 15 minutes each. These credits are added to their account at the start of business every Saturday. Calls can be placed daily—including holidays—between 7 AM and 11 PM. After the three free calls are used, additional calls are capped at 30 minutes. Residents can only call numbers on their approved telephone list, which holds up to 15 phone numbers. If you don't want calls from a specific resident, send a written request to the facility to be added to that person's Negative Correspondence and Telephone list. All calls may be monitored or recorded.

Mail rules at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility are strict, so plan ahead. Packages are only accepted when shipped directly from approved vendors—family and friends can't bring packages during visits or mail them to the facility. Every vendor shipment needs a vendor-affixed or printed return address. If the return address isn't printed by the vendor, the package won't be delivered. Family or friends may send up to two non-food packages per calendar year. Release clothing follows different rules: it's accepted no earlier than two weeks before the scheduled release and no later than 72 hours before release. Cellphones and smart watches are prohibited. All incoming correspondence and items are screened for contraband, while legal mail receives special handling.

Before entering Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, stop by the DOCCS Visitor Hospitality Center. You'll find restrooms, baby changing stations, lockers, and basic visitor information there. Leave purses, wallets, and electronics locked in your glove compartment or trunk—or use the lockers if available. Don't bring valuables inside. Visitation rules follow DOCCS Directive #4403, but the actual schedule at Bedford Hills may differ from the baseline. Confirm current visiting hours before you go. One more thing: Directive #4403 bars anyone with pending criminal charges related to conduct at a facility from visiting any Department facility until those charges are resolved.