Building an approved visitors list for Clara Waters Community Corrections: forms, timelines, and kids

Every visitor needs to submit a Visitor Application Form. Sending it by mail? It goes to ODOC headquarters, addressed to the Visitation Unit - not to the incarcerated person. Here's the address: Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Attn: Visitation Unit, P.O. Box 11400, Oklahoma City, OK 73136-0400.

Adults 18 and older go through a background check as part of approval. This isn't quick - expect up to eight weeks. Submit your application early, especially if you're coordinating travel or time off work.

Don't expect to hear the final decision directly from the facility. The incarcerated person gets notified when your approval goes through, and they'll tell you the scheduled date and time for your visit.

Each incarcerated person at Clara Waters can have up to 20 approved visitors. If your family is large or you want to include close friends, talk early about who should be on the list so you don't hit the cap later.

Good news for families: children under 18 don't count toward that 20-person limit. Adding kids won't use up slots that adult family members need.

There's also a limit on how many people can visit at once - no more than five approved visitors at the same time. Planning a big family day? You'll need to coordinate who goes in together.

Bringing Minors Documents and Age Transition

• ✓ Birth certificate for the child
• ✓ Court papers or adoption papers (if those apply)
• ✓ Any other documentation that verifies guardianship for the child being brought

Watch the calendar if a child on the list is approaching adulthood. Once they turn 18, they need to complete a visiting application to stay approved.

If your loved one just arrived at their initial facility and doesn't have an approved visiting list yet, there may be a short-term option. Family members can sometimes get one visit within 30 days while the Visitor Request Form is pending. After that single visit, you'll need to wait for full approval - unless the facility head or duty officer authorizes another.

Approved volunteers who want to visit an incarcerated family member or friend face a separate approval path. Visits are only allowed when the relationship existed before incarceration. You'll need to submit a request to the facility volunteer coordinator with evidence of that prior relationship. The coordinator forwards it with a recommendation, and the facility head makes the final call.

Checklist Documents to Include

• ✓ Completed Visitor Application Form (send paper applications to: Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Attn: Visitation Unit, P.O. Box 11400, Oklahoma City, OK 73136-0400)
• ✓ If you’re bringing a minor: birth certificate and/or court/adoption papers that verify guardianship