Your First In-Person Visit at Columbia County Prison: What to Bring and Leave Behind
Your first in-person visit goes a lot smoother when you bring the right ID, leave the wrong stuff behind, and know what to expect at the door. Here's your quick, facility-specific checklist for Columbia County Prison.
Before you plan the drive, confirm you're actually eligible to get in. You must be listed on the resident's Visitation List to visit at Columbia County Prison. Not on the list? You won't get through - even with valid ID during visiting hours.
Note: If you’re on probation or parole, you’re not permitted to visit unless you have written permission from your supervising agency authorizing the visit.
Bring ID and Log
- ✓ Bring a valid photo ID if you’re 17 or older (you’ll need it at check-in).
- ✓ Be ready to sign the visitor log when you enter the facility.
Expect security screening when you arrive. All visitors go through a metal detector and are subject to search, so plan your outfit and empty your pockets like you would at the airport.
Prohibited Items Consequences
- ✓ Cell phones (and other electronic devices) - not permitted inside the facility.
- ✓ Pictures, letters, mail, or any other items - residents are not permitted to receive any item during visitation.
- ✓ Jackets, coats, and other outerwear - not permitted in the visitation area (lockers are provided in the visitation waiting room for these items).
Warning: If you are in possession of a cell phone while in the facility, you will be escorted from the prison and your visitation privileges may be revoked.
Plan for a short, structured visit. Residents get one face-to-face visit per week, and each visit is limited to thirty minutes. If you're coordinating with other visitors, keep those limits in mind - you don't want to accidentally use up the one weekly slot.
Heads up: All visits are subject to monitoring and/or recording.
- Confirm you’re cleared to visit - you must be on the resident’s Visitation List, and if you’re on probation or parole you’ll need written permission from your supervising agency.
- Pack light and leave electronics behind - keep cell phones and other electronic devices out of the facility, and don’t bring pictures, letters, mail, or items for the resident.
- Use the waiting-room lockers for outerwear - jackets, coats, and similar outerwear aren’t permitted in the visitation area, so plan to store them.
- Arrive ready for screening - all visitors are subject to search and metal-detector screening prior to entry.
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