Visiting Rules at Brooklyn Correctional Inst: Who Can Visit and How Many People

At Brooklyn Correctional Inst, visitors need to be on the incarcerated person's approved visiting list. Not on the list yet? You'll need to complete the visiting application process before you can visit. This approval step is the gatekeeper, so start it as early as possible.

Connecticut DOC publishes guidance on how many people an incarcerated person can place on their approved visiting list. The number depends on the facility's security level: Level 5: up to 5 approved visitors. Levels 3 and 4: up to 7 approved visitors. Level 2: up to 10 approved visitors. These numbers include children. They refer to how many people can be on the list overall, not how many can visit on a single day.

These DOC rules can seem contradictory. One DOC page states no more than two visitors (including children) per in-person visit, while another lists larger numbers for how many approved visitors can be on the list overall based on facility level. There's also a separate courtesy-visit option (up to two adult immediate family members) that a warden may allow before your application is approved. Since these statements come from different DOC guidance materials covering different parts of the process (per-visit limits vs. list size vs. courtesy visits), confirm which rule Brooklyn Correctional Inst is enforcing for your situation before you go.

Trying to visit before your paperwork is finalized? DOC guidance gives wardens discretion to allow a courtesy visit. This option is limited to up to two adult visitors (18 or older) from the incarcerated person's immediate family. Under DOC guidelines, "immediate family" includes legal spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild (including step or foster relationships). The courtesy visit bridges the gap while your application is processed, which can take two to three weeks.

1. Check whether you qualify: Courtesy visits are described as up to two adult (18+) immediate family members.
2. Ask about a courtesy visit: Contact the facility and ask whether the warden will permit a courtesy visit while your application is pending.
3. Submit the visiting application right away: Even if a courtesy visit is allowed, you still need to complete the application process so you can be added to the approved visiting list.

Video visits have their own headcount rule. DOC guidance allows a maximum of three authorized adult visitors per video visit, and those adults must be listed on the Visit Request Form. Coordinating a group call? Make sure the right adults are named on that form beforehand, or someone may be left out.

Before heading to Brooklyn Correctional Inst, confirm the current rules the facility is following for headcount and approvals. DOC materials include different statements about visitor counts for in-person visits (a two-person limit per visit versus larger facility-level totals for the approved list), plus the warden-approved courtesy visit option. Verify two things before you travel: whether you're approved, and how many people can attend for the type of visit you're planning (in-person versus video).

• ✓ Confirm you are on the inmate’s approved visiting list.
• ✓ If you are not approved yet, submit the visiting application now.
• ✓ Ask Brooklyn Correctional Inst whether a courtesy visit is allowed while your application is pending, and how many people may attend (in-person versus video).