Getting on the Visiting List: What You Need to Know Before Your First Visit in Louisiana Prisons

In Louisiana DPS&C prisons, you cannot visit unless you're on the person's approved visiting list. Visitation is treated as a privilege, not a right. That means it can be restricted, denied, or suspended if either the imprisoned person or the visitor breaks the rules. Think of the visiting list as your entry ticket, and following the rules as what keeps that ticket valid.

The detailed rules governing visitation are in Department Regulation OP-C-9. If you don't have access to it, request a copy from the facility. That's often the fastest way to make sure you're following current requirements.

Who Can Be Added Temporary

• ✓ At Allen Correctional Center, each imprisoned person may have up to 10 individuals on an approved visiting list.
• ✓ At Allen, legal advisers, one approved religious adviser, and children age 18 or younger may visit but do not count toward the 10.
• ✓ At Allen, only six people total may visit at one time, and that number includes children.

Some facilities offer temporary approvals for close family, especially right after someone arrives. At Allen Correctional Center, for example, temporary visiting approval can be granted for 60 days for parents, a legal spouse, grandparents, siblings, and children listed in the Master Prison Record. The imprisoned person needs to request this. It's designed to bridge the gap while permanent visiting-list paperwork is being completed.

1. Get the visitor questionnaire(s) and complete them: Each visitor may need to fill out their own paperwork, so make sure everyone who wants to visit completes an individual questionnaire.
2. Return the questionnaires as instructed: At Allen Correctional Center, temporary approval only turns into permanent approval after the questionnaires are returned.
3. Wait for processing and warden approval: At Allen, questionnaires must be processed and approved by the warden before permanent approval is granted.

Approval decisions happen at the facility level, and the warden is part of the decision-making chain at some locations (Allen is one example). Procedures can vary by facility, so OP-C-9 is your best baseline for department requirements. You can also request a copy from the facility to confirm the exact steps for where your person is housed.

If Unsure Next Steps

• ✓ Ask the person you plan to visit to confirm whether you are on their approved visiting list.
• ✓ Call the facility and ask how they verify visiting-list status, and whether any visitor paperwork still needs to be submitted.
• ✓ If you are being told to follow “the policy,” ask for Department Regulation OP-C-9 or request a copy from the facility so you can track the requirements in writing.