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The 9-Person Visitors List at High Security Center: Who Can Visit and Who Can Only Send Money

Trying to visit someone at High Security Center? The first thing you need to understand is the visitors list—there's a strict cap on who can be approved to visit, plus a separate category for people who can only deposit money.

• 3 min read • doc.ri.gov
The 9-Person Visitors List at High Security Center: Who Can Visit and Who Can Only Send Money

For sentenced inmates at High Security Center, the visitors list works in two tiers. An inmate can have nine (9) people on their visitors' list. These nine can both visit and deposit money into the inmate's ACI account. Beyond that, inmates can add two (2) more names - but these slots are for depositing money only. They're meant for financial support when all nine visiting spots are already taken.

Note: The two additional “money-only” names are not visiting slots. Those two people may deposit money, but they may not visit.

Here's a rule that catches many families off guard: your name can only appear on one (1) inmate's visitors' list at a time. If you're already listed to visit one person at the ACI, you generally can't be on someone else's list simultaneously.

The exception? When more than one immediate family member is incarcerated at the ACI. In that case, the one-list restriction doesn't apply. RIDOC defines

Get removed from an inmate's visitors' list? You'll need to wait thirty (30) days before you can add your name to another inmate's list. This works alongside the one-list rule to prevent quick switching between lists.

To get on any inmate's visitors' list - which you need for regular visits - you must pass both BCI and NCIC background checks. Don't assume you'll be allowed through just because the inmate "put you down." Until your name actually appears on the approved list, you're not cleared.

If you haven't cleared both background checks, you won't be allowed to visit - unless you get specific approval from the Assistant Director of Institutions and Operations (ADIO) or their designee. The default answer is "no" until those checks clear.

  1. Ask the inmate to add you to their visitors’ list - regular visits require your name to be on the list.
  2. Be ready for the background checks - you must pass both BCI and NCIC checks to appear on any inmate’s visitors’ list.
  3. Wait for confirmation before planning a trip - if you haven’t cleared both checks, you won’t be permitted to visit unless the ADIO or designee specifically approves you.
The 9-Person Visitors List at High Security Center: Who Can Visit and Who Can Only Send Money

Practical Tips

  • ✓ Use the nine (9) visiting slots for the people who truly need to be able to visit (those nine can also deposit money).
  • ✓ Save the two (2) additional slots for people who mainly need to deposit money and don’t need to visit (because those two cannot visit).
  • ✓ Coordinate with your family before anyone gets added, since a visitor’s name can appear on only one inmate’s visitors’ list at a time.
  • ✓ Plan ahead if you’re switching which inmate you’re listed with: once you’re removed from one list, you must wait thirty (30) days before joining another inmate’s visitors’ list.

Tip: Supporting more than one incarcerated loved one at the ACI? The only exception to the one-list rule is for immediate family. If you're an ex-inmate yourself, the definition is narrower - limited to parent, spouse (including common-law), brother, sister, grandparent, child, and grandchild.

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