What to Expect During Contact Visits at Michael Unit

A contact visit means physical contact between you and your loved one is allowed. At the Michael Unit, these visits happen in designated areas - you'll be seated and supervised, but there's no glass barrier between you.

Here's the rule that catches people off guard: hugging and kissing are only allowed at specific moments. You can embrace and kiss once when your loved one arrives and once when the visit ends. That's it - a quick greeting and a quick goodbye.

During the visit, you can hold hands - but keep it simple and visible. Hands must stay on top of the table where staff can see them. No hands in laps, under the table, or tucked out of sight.

Contact visits run two hours. The clock starts when both you and your loved one are present - so if you arrive on time but they're brought out late, your two hours begins once everyone's actually there.

How often your loved one can have contact visits depends on their eligibility and custody classification. The baseline: eligible inmates normally get one visit per visiting cycle. A cycle runs Monday through Sunday, so that typically means one visit per week.

• ✓ G1, J1, J2: one contact visit per week
• ✓ G2, G3, P2, P3, P6, P7 with SAT 4 or higher: three contact visits per month

Staff watch contact visits closely. They're paying attention to what happens at the table and whether everyone stays within the rules. Visits are also structured - two hours max, one per week for eligible inmates. If boundaries get crossed, the unit can restrict contact privileges and move future visits to more limited formats.