Who Can Be on an Inmate's Visiting List at USP Coleman 1

At USP Coleman 1, visiting starts with one non-negotiable rule: you can only visit if the incarcerated person has put you on their approved visiting list and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has cleared you. If your name isn’t on that list - or you haven’t been cleared yet - you won’t be able to visit, even if you’re close family.

The BOP allows a wide range of relatives on an inmate's visiting list. Beyond immediate family, that includes grandparents, uncles, aunts, in-laws, and cousins. If you fall into one of these categories, you're generally eligible to be considered for the approved list.

Attorneys can also be approved visitors. This matters if your loved one needs in-person legal visits for their case or other legal matters - those visits still go through the BOP's approved-visitor framework.

For non-relatives, the BOP caps the visiting list at 10 friends or associates. That means your loved one may need to prioritize which friends get added, especially if they already have several non-family contacts listed.

Some visitors fall into "special" categories rather than family or friends. The BOP allows members of religious groups - including clergy - on an inmate's visiting list. This can be helpful if spiritual support plays an important role in the inmate's routine and reentry planning.

The visiting list can also include people connected to life outside prison. The BOP permits employers (former or prospective) and sponsors, which matters when someone is trying to maintain work ties or build a stronger support network.

Two other approved visitor types are parole advisors and foreign officials. These won't apply to most families, but they can be relevant when official involvement or guidance is part of the inmate's circumstances.

If you're visiting (or corresponding) as a representative of a licensed attorney - such as a paralegal, legal assistant, clerk, or student - the BOP requires form BP‑A0243. The form has three parts: a questionnaire completed by the representative, a certification signed by the representative, and a statement signed by the licensed attorney.

No matter which category you fall into - relative, friend, clergy, employer, sponsor, or attorney - the same baseline applies at USP Coleman 1: the inmate must place you on their approved visiting list, and the BOP must clear you before any visit can happen. Planning your first visit? Start by confirming you've been added and cleared. Otherwise, you might make the trip only to get turned away at the door.