How to Visit Facility
Visiting someone at Bland Correctional Center starts with getting approved, then scheduling within the allowed window. Here's what to have ready and how the timing rules work.
As of June 1, 2023, Bland Correctional Center no longer requires you to be on an inmate's approved visiting list for in-person visitation. That removes one common barrier, but you still need to complete the visitor approval process. Before you start the application, have these ready: the inmate's name or ID number, a photo ID (driver's license or passport), and your Social Security Number. Gathering those ahead of time makes the whole thing go much faster.
Two timing rules shape when you can visit. First, visits can only be scheduled up to 14 days in advance, so you can't book far ahead. Second, visitors are limited to one visit per weekend. If you're coordinating with other family members, keep that limit in mind. It affects who goes and when.
Minors: Minor visitor applications must be attached to an adult application, and minors must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or an accompanying adult who is an approved visitor.
Set aside uninterrupted time for the online visitation application. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes, and you can't save a draft. You need to finish and submit in one sitting. Once approved, your visitor application lasts three years from the approval date. After that, you'll need to renew if you want to keep visiting without a gap.
Steps to Follow
- ✓ Inmate’s first and/or last name, or inmate ID number
- ✓ A form of picture ID (driver’s license, passport, etc.)
- ✓ Your Social Security Number
- Block out 20 to 30 minutes: The online visitation application typically takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Complete it in one sitting: You cannot save the application as a draft, so finish and submit it before you exit.
- Track your renewal date: Visitor applications expire three years after approval. Renew before it expires to avoid interrupted visitation privileges.
- Pick a date within the 14-day window: Visits may be scheduled up to 14 days in advance.
- Avoid double-booking weekends: You are permitted a maximum of one visit per weekend, so choose the weekend that matters most.
- ✓ Attach any minor’s visitor application to an adult application
- ✓ Make sure the minor is accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or an accompanying adult who is an approved visitor
Policy update: As of June 1, 2023, you do not have to be on an inmate’s approved visiting list to be approved for in-person visitation.
Verify before you go: Confirm the visitor-list change (effective June 1, 2023) is still being applied the same way for in-person visits, including any exceptions that could affect your situation.
Double-check the scheduling rules before you make plans. Visits can be scheduled up to 14 days in advance, so if you're coordinating travel or time off, confirm how that window is being enforced. Also verify the one-visit-per-weekend limit and how it works in practice. Knowing that ahead of time can save you from booking the wrong weekend or trying to schedule a second visit that won't be allowed.
- ✓ The exact information you’ll need to apply (inmate name or ID number, picture ID, and your Social Security Number)
- ✓ Whether you should expect the online application to take about 20 to 30 minutes
- ✓ Confirmation that the application cannot be saved as a draft and must be submitted in one sitting
- ✓ Your approval date and when the three-year expiration will hit, so you can renew on time
- ✓ How to submit minor applications (attached to an adult application) and who can accompany a minor (parent, legal guardian, or an approved adult visitor)
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