Who Can Visit an Inmate at FCI La Tuna? Understanding the 10‑Person Limit
Visiting at FCI La Tuna starts with one basic rule: you must be on the inmate's approved visiting list and cleared by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The 10-person limit everyone mentions? It only applies to friends and associates—not every visitor type.
To visit someone at FCI La Tuna, the inmate must put you on their approved visiting list, and the BOP has to clear you. The BOP separates visitors into categories - relatives versus other approved visitors - and that's where the 10-person limit kicks in for friends and associates.
The BOP treats relatives differently from other visitor types. Family includes extended relatives like grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, and cousins. "Other types of approved visitors" covers a broader range: friends and associates, clergy and religious group members, civic group members, employers (current, former, or prospective), sponsors, parole advisors, attorneys, and even foreign officials. This split matters because the friends/associates portion has a hard cap.
Tip: Not sure where you fit? Ask whether you'll be classified as a relative or a friend/associate. The 10-person cap only applies to the friends/associates side.
The 10-person limit caps how many friends and associates an inmate can have on their approved visiting list. If the inmate already has 10 friends/associates approved, no one else in that category can be added - even if they're willing and eligible.
Clarifying the cap: The limit is 10 friends/associates maximum on the approved list. It's a ceiling for that specific category, not a blanket limit on all visitors.
Even close family members and longtime friends can't visit until two things happen: the inmate places you on their visiting list, and the BOP clears you. If you're planning travel or coordinating with other relatives, confirm you're approved before building your plans around a visit.
- Ask the inmate to add you to the visiting list - the inmate is the one who initiates who’s on their approved list.
- Make sure you’re cleared by the BOP - approval isn’t complete until clearance is done.
- Confirm you’re approved before you go - don’t assume you’re good to visit just because you’re family or you’ve visited in the past.
There's one narrow exception. Right after someone enters prison or transfers to a new facility, a visiting list might not exist yet. In that window, immediate family members may be allowed to visit if staff can verify them using information in the inmate's Pre-Sentence Report (PSR).
Note: This exception only applies when the visiting list isn't in place yet, and it depends on verification through the PSR.
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- ✓ Confirm whether you’ll be listed as a relative or as a friend/associate, since friends/associates are capped at 10.
- ✓ Coordinate with the inmate on who should be included as friends/associates if space is tight.
- ✓ If the inmate is newly arrived or recently transferred and doesn’t have a visiting list yet, ask whether immediate family can be verified through the PSR.
- ✓ Don’t make travel plans until you’re on the approved visiting list and cleared by the BOP.
Reminder: The core rules still apply - approved visiting list plus BOP clearance, the 10-person cap for friends/associates, and the limited PSR-based exception when no list exists yet.
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