Before You Drive to O'Daniel Unit: A Pre-Visit Checklist

Before you get in the car, confirm two things: your loved one is currently assigned to O'Daniel Unit, and they have visitation privileges. This quick check keeps you from showing up at the wrong facility - or arriving on a day when visits aren't allowed.

• ✓ Confirm the inmate is assigned to O'Daniel Unit.
• ✓ Confirm the inmate has visitation privileges.
• ✓ Re-check these details right before you travel so you’re not relying on old information.

Even if everything looked fine when you checked earlier, don't skip the call. Schedules change. A quick call to O'Daniel Unit before you leave can save you a wasted trip.

1. Call the unit for final confirmation - do this before you travel so you’re working with the most current information.
2. Confirm the inmate can actually receive visitors that day - ask whether visitation is still on as expected.
3. Double-check you’re cleared to visit - confirm the inmate’s status and any visitation-related details you were given earlier.

Each inmate gets only one visit per weekend. If multiple people want to visit, coordinate ahead of time - otherwise someone may drive out only to be turned away because the visit slot was already used.

Visiting hours run Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Give yourself extra time for the drive and check-in so you're not rushing as the day winds down.

• ✓ Plan for weekend visiting only: Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• ✓ Coordinate with other people on the visitor list so the inmate’s one visit per weekend (one visit per visiting cycle) isn’t accidentally used up before you arrive.
• ✓ If you’re unsure whether the visit has already been used, confirm before you drive.

Keep things simple: pack light and leave anything questionable at home. If you're unsure whether an item is allowed, call the unit before you travel. Rules can change, and checking ahead prevents problems at the door.

• ✓ Call the unit for final confirmation before you travel.
• ✓ Bring only what you know you’ll need for the visit.
• ✓ If you have questions about what’s allowed, get the current answer from the unit before you leave.

If plans feel uncertain - bad weather, a long drive, a schedule you're not 100% confident about - make one more call before you leave. Visitation can be canceled on short notice, and if it is, you won't be able to see your loved one that day.