How to Get Approved to Visit Someone in a Tennessee Prison: Complete CR-2152 Walkthrough

In Tennessee prisons, all immediate family members who apply can be approved as visitors, plus up to eight additional adults. Immediate family doesn't compete for those eight spots. Friends and other non-family adults do. One restriction catches people off guard. If you're a current or former TDOC, TRICOR, or Tennessee contract agency employee (or you were an intern or practicum student), you won't be approved to visit unless you're immediate family of the inmate.

Start by getting a blank CR-2152 form. Blank copies are furnished to inmates, so most people get the form from their loved one and fill it out at home. Complete it and return it with a current photograph to the Deputy Superintendent or Associate Warden who oversees visitation at the institution within 30 days.

• ✓ Complete every section of the CR-2152 (do not leave blanks).
• ✓ Use a physical street address. A P.O. Box is not allowed on the application.

If you're applying for a child visitor, pay close attention to the photo requirement. Children age six and older must have a photograph attached, and it cannot be a photocopy. TDOC also requires child photos to be updated at specific ages: 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18. If you're sending in a child's application, plan ahead so you're not scrambling to update paperwork later.

Adults need a photo too. A current photograph must be submitted with the CR-2152. Missing photos are one of the most common reasons applications get held up.

Once the CR-2152 is filled out and the photo is attached, return everything to the institution's Deputy Superintendent or Associate Warden in charge of visitation. That's the office that processes visitation applications for the facility.

After the institution receives your application, expect a decision within 30 days. If you're planning travel, build around that timeline. Don't assume you'll be cleared right away.

There's a limited exception for immediate family when someone has just been committed to TDOC. Immediate family may visit before the CR-2152 is approved, but only during the first 60 days from the inmate's intake date. Once that window closes, you'll need the normal approval on file before visiting again.

Quick Checklist

• ✓ Get a blank CR-2152 (inmates are furnished copies) and plan to return it with a current photograph.
• ✓ Fill out every section of the form. Do not leave blanks.
• ✓ Write a physical street address (no P.O. Boxes).
• ✓ Attach the required photo(s). Children age 6+ must include a photograph that is not a photocopy.
• ✓ If a child is visiting, remember photo updates are required at ages 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18.
• ✓ Return the completed application to the Deputy Superintendent or Associate Warden in charge of visitation within 30 days.
• ✓ Expect the institution to approve or deny the application within 30 days of receipt.
• ✓ Do not attempt to visit until you are approved (unless you qualify as immediate family for the temporary 60-day newly committed exception).

Before you submit, double-check that you fit within the basic limits: all immediate family who apply can be approved, plus up to eight additional adults. If you're a current or former TDOC, TRICOR, or Tennessee contract agency employee (or were an intern or practicum student), you generally won't be approved unless you're immediate family of the inmate.

Give the institution time to process. Decisions should come within 30 days of receipt, but you still can't visit until you're approved. If your loved one is newly committed and you're immediate family, you may be able to visit during the first 60 days after intake while approval is pending. When you have questions about where to send the CR-2152 or what the facility needs from you, call the institution's visitation office directly to confirm.