What Happens If the Visiting Room Fills Up at Great Plains: Your two‑hour window and capacity rules
When the visiting room at Great Plains hits capacity, staff have a system for making space—and it can cut your visit short. Here's how the two-hour rule works and what you can do to avoid surprises.
When the visiting area fills up, officers may ask visitors to voluntarily end their visit so others waiting can get in. They start with whoever checked in first and work forward until there's enough space. So if you were one of the earliest people through the door, you might be among the first asked to wrap up.
Note: If the room is full, staff may ask visitors to end visits voluntarily, starting with the first visitors processed.
Even on crowded days, ODOC policy guarantees you a two-hour visit before staff can end it for capacity reasons. This matters most on busy weekends, when the facility rotates visitors through to accommodate everyone waiting.
Reminder: Capacity-related terminations shouldn’t happen until you’ve had two hours for your visit.
Staff don't pick randomly when they need to free up space. They start with whoever checked in first and ask them - voluntarily - to end their visit. This means your check-in timing matters. Arriving early gets you more time with your loved one, but it also puts you closer to the front of the line if the room fills up later.
- ✓ Save the confirmation you receive when a team member calls you back - your visit isn’t confirmed until that happens.
- ✓ If you leave a voicemail or request a visit, don’t treat that as approval; wait for the callback confirmation.
- ✓ Keep your call log/notes (date and time you were called back) so you can clearly state when your visit was confirmed if there’s any confusion at check-in.
Heads up: Staff go by processing order when managing capacity. If your visit wasn't confirmed by callback, you may have less ground to stand on if asked to leave early.
Practical Actions
- ✓ Don’t show up assuming you’re on the list - your visit isn’t confirmed until a team member calls you back with confirmation.
- ✓ Bring (or have access to) your confirmation details so you can answer questions quickly during check-in.
- ✓ Treat busy periods as higher-risk for capacity limits; the more packed the room gets, the more likely staff are to start asking early-processed visitors to end visits.
- ✓ Have a backup plan for your day in case the room reaches capacity and you’re asked to leave after your two-hour window.
- Wait for the callback confirmation - your visit isn’t confirmed until a team member calls you back.
- Arrive and check in with your details ready - smooth processing helps avoid mix-ups about whether you’re confirmed.
- If the room fills up, know how staff may manage it - officers may ask visitors to end visits voluntarily, starting with the first visitors processed, until space opens up.
Plan for screening: Everyone - visitors and inmates - goes through a pat search before visitation. Keep what you bring simple and easy to check.
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