Can You Qualify for a Four-Hour Extended Visit at Glossbrenner? How Distance and Warden Discretion Work

A standard visit at Glossbrenner lasts two hours, starting when both you and the inmate are present. An Extended Visit doubles that to four hours. The extra time can be worth it if you're driving from far away - but it's not automatic. You have to qualify, and the unit has to be able to fit you in.

Distance is the main eligibility factor. Extended Visits may be permitted for visitors traveling more than 250 miles one way. That 250-mile mark is a threshold, not a guarantee. Meeting it puts you in the running, but the final decision is still up to the unit - and they need to have the time and space available.

Here's what families often don't hear until they're already on the road: the warden (or a designee) makes the final call. Distance helps your case, but it doesn't override unit operations. There's another practical constraint. Eligible inmates normally get one visit per visiting cycle - typically one visit per weekend. Extended visits still have to fit within that schedule. If the unit is busy, short-staffed, or already at capacity, the warden may turn down your request even if you drove 300 miles to get there.

1. Confirm you meet the distance guideline - If you’re traveling more than 250 miles one way, you have a basis to ask for an Extended Visit, but approval is still up to the warden (or designee).
2. Verify the inmate is at Glossbrenner and eligible to visit - Before you plan around an extended visit, confirm the inmate is assigned to Glossbrenner and has visitation privileges.
3. Call the unit before you travel - Visitation listings are updated daily, so don’t rely on old information. Call for final confirmation before you make the drive.
4. Ask directly about an Extended Visit request - When you call, explain that you’re traveling more than 250 miles one way and ask whether the warden (or designee) will consider an Extended Visit and whether time and space allow that day.

• ✓ Confirm the inmate is assigned to the Glossbrenner Unit before you plan the trip.
• ✓ Verify the inmate has visitation privileges (the information updates daily).
• ✓ Call the unit for final confirmation before traveling.
• ✓ Have a backup plan for your trip in case an extended visit can’t be accommodated that day.

Practical Tips

• ✓ Coordinate with other people on the inmate’s Visitors List so someone else doesn’t use the visit first and cause later visitors to be declined at the unit.
• ✓ Confirm the inmate is assigned to Glossbrenner and has visitation privileges before you travel.
• ✓ Call ahead for final confirmation since visitation information updates daily.