Who Can Visit an Inmate at FCI La Tuna? Understanding Approved Visitor Categories

The BOP also allows extended relatives on an inmate's approved visiting list - grandparents, uncles, aunts, in-laws, and cousins all typically qualify. If you fall into one of these categories, make sure the inmate has added you to their list and that you've been cleared through the BOP's approval process before you make the trip.

Not everyone who visits is a relative. The BOP approves other types of visitors based on their connection to the inmate and the purpose of the visit. Friends and associates can be approved, but there's a cap - no more than 10 friends/associates on the visiting list. Other approved categories include foreign officials, religious group members (including clergy), civic group members, employers (former or prospective), sponsors, parole advisors, and attorneys. Think about your relationship to the inmate - personal, professional, religious, or legal - and whether it matches one of these recognized categories.

• ✓ Friends/associates (up to 10)
• ✓ Foreign officials
• ✓ Members of religious groups (including clergy)
• ✓ Members of civic groups
• ✓ Employers (former or prospective)
• ✓ Sponsors
• ✓ Parole advisors
• ✓ Attorneys

There's one exception to the usual approval timing: right after someone enters prison or transfers to a new facility. The visiting list might not exist yet. When that happens, immediate family members may still be allowed to visit as long as the relationship can be verified through information in the inmate's Pre-Sentence Report.

1. Confirm the inmate is newly arrived or recently transferred - this exception is meant for the period before a visiting list is in place.
2. Identify yourself as immediate family - this is the category that may be allowed to visit before the list exists.
3. Allow staff to verify the relationship through the Pre-Sentence Report - the BOP may use the inmate’s Pre-Sentence Report information to confirm you qualify.