How Often Can You Visit Someone at Coffield Unit? Custody Levels and Visit Frequency Explained
Visiting at Coffield Unit happens on weekends — but how often you can go depends on your loved one's custody classification. Here's how the frequency rules break down so you can plan your trips without surprises.
In-person visits at Coffield Unit run Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. That's the window most families work with, so plan your drive, meals, and childcare accordingly.
Each visit lasts two hours. The clock starts when both you and your loved one are present - not when you check in. Arrive late, and you'll lose that time.
Tip for long-distance travel: If you’re traveling more than 250 miles one way, extended visits may be allowed (up to four hours) at the warden’s discretion.
If your loved one is classified G1, J1, or J2, they can have one contact visit per week. That means weekly in-person time where physical contact is allowed under the unit's rules.
Other classifications also qualify for one contact visit per week, but SAT level matters. Inmates classified G2, G3, P2, P3, P6, and P7 with SAT 3 get one contact visit each week.
For inmates classified G2, G3, P2, P3, P6, and P7 with SAT 4 or higher, the schedule shifts to monthly: three contact visits per month. If you're traveling from out of town, map out which weekends you'll use ahead of time.
There's a middle-ground category for certain higher custody levels. Inmates classified G4, J4, or P4 who are state jail or SAT 3 and 4 inmates with no disciplinary convictions for one year qualify for two contact visits per month. These can be your anchor visits to plan trips around.
All other inmates classified G4, J4, or P4 get one general visit per week. General visits still mean in-person time, but they're not contact visits. Confirm what type your loved one is approved for before making a long drive.
The key distinction isn't just weekly versus monthly - it's whether the visit is contact or general. Contact visits are tied to specific classifications: G1/J1/J2 (one per week), G2/G3/P2/P3/P6/P7 with SAT 3 (one per week), G2/G3/P-levels with SAT 4 or higher (three per month), and certain G4/J4/P4 cases with a clean disciplinary year (two per month). Everyone else in the G4/J4/P4 category gets one general visit per week, which may be more restricted. Knowing which bucket your loved one falls into helps you set expectations before you arrive.
Also available: Remote video visits are allowed once per month for up to 60 minutes, and they’re in addition to contact or general visits. This can be a helpful backup when you can’t make the drive or when in-person visits are limited by monthly frequency.
Practical Planning Tips
- ✓ Confirm your loved one’s custody/classification (G1/J1/J2, G2/G3/P-levels with SAT 3, G2/G3/P-levels with SAT 4+, or G4/J4/P4) because it determines whether visits are weekly or monthly and whether they’re contact or general.
- ✓ If they’re G4/J4/P4, ask whether they qualify for two contact visits per month based on being state jail or SAT 3/4 with no disciplinary convictions for one year, or whether they fall under the one general visit per week rule.
- ✓ Plan around the weekend window: Saturdays and Sundays, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- ✓ Build in time so you don’t lose visit minutes - the regular visit is two hours, and it starts when both the inmate and the visitor(s) are present.
- ✓ If your loved one gets three contact visits per month (SAT 4+ group) or two contact visits per month (certain G4/J4/P4 cases), pick your target weekends early and plan travel around that monthly limit.
- ✓ Use the once-per-month remote video visit (up to 60 minutes) to stay connected when you can’t make an in-person visit.
- ✓ If you’re traveling more than 250 miles one way, consider asking about an extended visit (up to four hours), since it may be approved at the warden’s discretion.
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