Elmira's Visiting Room Overcrowding Policy: How and When Visits Are Ended
When Elmira Correctional Facility's visiting room gets too crowded, staff follow a specific order for ending visits early. Here's how the process works—including who gets asked to leave first and how travel distance factors in.
Elmira posts visitation schedules online (including a 2026 schedule), so check before you go. The facility lists daily visits as
When space gets tight, staff start by asking for volunteers. Before anyone is required to leave, they'll ask if someone is willing to wrap up early so others can be accommodated.
If nobody volunteers - or overcrowding persists - Elmira moves to time limits for local visitors. "Local" means anyone living within 100 miles of the facility. These visits can be ended after three hours, and the order is first-in, first-out: visits that started earliest get ended first once they hit the three-hour mark.
If overcrowding continues after local visits are being ended, visitors who traveled over 100 miles are next. Their visits can also be terminated after three hours, following the same first-in, first-out order. Travel distance affects when your visit is considered for termination, but the three-hour/FIFO rule still applies.
Some visits get extra consideration before being ended. Visits with special permission, or visits for incarcerated individuals who haven't had a visitor in six months, receive special consideration from the Superintendent or Officer of the Day. If your visit falls into one of these categories, let staff know clearly if overcrowding becomes an issue.
Tips
- ✓ Check Elmira’s posted visitation schedule (the facility references a 2026 visitation schedule) before you make plans
- ✓ If you have flexibility, aim to arrive earlier in the visiting window so you’re not starting your visit late in a crowded period
- ✓ If your visit involves special permission, confirm the details ahead of time and keep any relevant documentation with you
Note: Even though Elmira lists daily visits as "Unlimited," visits can still be ended due to space limits. The order is: voluntary termination first, then three-hour terminations for visitors within 100 miles (FIFO), then three-hour terminations for visitors over 100 miles (FIFO).
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