Who Can Visit Your Loved One at Kansas Prisons: Understanding the KDOC Approved Visitor List

KDOC doesn't allow walk-in visitors. You must be on the resident's pre-approved visitation list before you'll be admitted - show up without approval, and you'll be turned away at the door. If you're planning travel, make "approved and listed" your first checkpoint.

The resident has to start the process. Once they're eligible for visiting privileges, they'll get a visiting request form from their unit counselor and mail it to you. Fill it out and send it back to the facility for review.

• ✓ Ask your loved one to request the visiting request form from their unit counselor
• ✓ Complete the form carefully and mail it back to the facility for review and approval
• ✓ Follow up with your loved one to make sure the paperwork was started through the unit counselor and sent out

Every visitor application goes through a criminal background check - close family and long-time friends included. It's standard for anyone applying to be added to a resident's visiting list.

The approved list has a cap. Each resident can have a maximum of 20 people on their visitor list, so families sometimes need to prioritize who gets added first.

That 20-person limit is for overall approval - not how many can visit at once. During an actual visit, only four visitors can be with a resident at the same time. So even with a full list, only four people can walk in together for a scheduled visit.

• ✓ Approved visitor list size: up to 20 people per resident
• ✓ In-person visit capacity: up to 4 visitors per resident at the same time

KDOC uses a "primary visitor" designation. If the resident is married - by license or common law - their spouse must be listed as primary visitor. This is a requirement, not a choice.

If the resident is unmarried, they can designate anyone 18 or older as their primary visitor. One catch: that person can't already be listed as primary for another resident. If you're trying to fill that role for two people, it won't work.

Primary visitor status can't be changed on a whim. Residents may only update their designated primary visitor every six months, so it's worth choosing carefully.

1. Have the resident request the form - they obtain the visiting request form from their unit counselor and mail it to the people they want to add.
2. Complete and return the paperwork - fill out the visitor application and mail it back to the facility for review and approval.
3. Allow time for the background check - a criminal background check is completed on all visitor applicants, so approval isn’t instant.
4. Confirm you’re approved before you travel - visitors must be on the resident’s pre-approved list to be admitted, and no one is allowed in until the application is approved.