How many people can visit at once at Charles Egeler (and why babies under 2 don't count)

Charles Egeler allows up to five people to visit a prisoner at the same time. Show up with more than five, and you'll need to trim the group before anyone gets in.

Here's what trips families up: children under two don't count toward that five-person limit. Bringing a baby or young toddler? You can still have five other visitors in your group without going over the cap.

Even with a five-person maximum, the facility sometimes allows fewer visitors due to space constraints - especially in non-contact visiting booths. If five people won't safely fit, the warden can cap the number lower for that situation.

Want to make the most of your trip? MDOC rules allow up to two separate in-person visits with the same prisoner on the same day. Helpful if family is coming from different places or you need to split the day into two time slots.

Time blocks affect how realistic two visits in one day will be. Weekday blocks run three hours; weekend blocks are two hours. Pay attention to the start and end times you book, plus any gap between appointments.

Practical Tips

• ✓ Confirm each child’s age before you build your group
• ✓ Separate out any children under 2 (they don’t count toward the five-person limit)
• ✓ Decide which five people will be counted as visitors if you’re bringing a child under 2 as well

1. Use the ViaPath scheduler - In-person visits are scheduled through the Michigan DOC ViaPath scheduling system.
2. Book within the allowed window - You can schedule as early as 7 days before the visit date.
3. Don’t cut it too close - Visits must be scheduled at least 48 hours ahead of time.
4. Make sure everyone is approved first - If someone schedules in the system before MDOC approval, the visit won’t be honored.

Before you leave home, pull up your appointment in ViaPath and double-check the details. If anything changes on the facility's end, that's usually where you'll see it first.