Getting Approved to Visit: Understanding ECI's 18-Person Visitor List and Enrollment Windows

Each incarcerated person at ECI can have up to 18 approved visitors total. That number includes both adults and minors. For larger families - or when friends also want to visit - this means making choices about who gets added first. If you're coordinating visits for kids, grandparents, and close supporters, talk with your loved one early about who should be on the list. Otherwise, it can fill up before everyone you expected is included.

Your visitor application must be completed and approved by facility staff before you can visit. "Approved" is the key word - turning in paperwork isn't the same as being cleared to come in. Show up before your application is approved, and you'll be turned away, even if you've traveled hours or taken time off work.

• ✓ Confirm your visitor application has been completed (not partially filled out)
• ✓ Make sure the facility has approved you before you plan a trip
• ✓ If you’re not sure about your status, verify approval before you try to visit

ECI uses open enrollment windows for changes to an incarcerated person's visitation list. These windows come every six months, based on the person's date of admission to prison. So if the admission month is January, open enrollment falls in July and again in January. This timing matters - your loved one can't swap or add visitors whenever they want. Changes have to wait for the next window.

1. Find the admission month - Ask your loved one what month they were admitted, since the enrollment cycle is tied to that date.
2. Count forward six months - That midpoint month is typically the next open enrollment window.
3. Plan list changes around that window - If someone needs to be added to the visitation list, have your loved one prepare to handle it during the open enrollment period.
4. Use the example to double-check - Admission in January lines up with enrollment in July and January, then continues on the same six-month pattern.

If your application is taking a long time, gets denied, or you're getting conflicting answers, direct visitation questions to the warden of the prison you're visiting. Keep your message simple and specific: who you're trying to visit, when you applied, and what you've been told so far. Hold onto copies of anything you submitted - you'll need them if you have to follow up.