How to Complete the CR-2152 Visitation Application (Tennessee DOC)
The Tennessee Department of Correction uses the CR-2152 form to approve visitors. Fill it out carefully and follow the return instructions, and you can avoid the most common processing delays.
TDOC supports visitation as part of the rehabilitation process. The idea is to encourage positive family involvement while still following departmental guidelines for who can visit and how approval works.
The process usually starts on the inside. The inmate receives blank CR-2152 visitation application forms along with written instructions for prospective visitors. Those instructions cover how to complete the application and return it with a current photograph within 30 days to the Deputy Superintendent or Associate Warden in charge of visitation.
Note: Attach a recent photograph in the lower left-hand corner of the CR-2152. The application will not be processed without it.
The photo isn't optional paperwork. It's part of what makes the CR-2152 complete. TDOC policy expects the form, with that current photograph, to be completed and returned within 30 days using the written instructions provided. Once the application is received, the policy target is approval or denial within 30 days of receipt. A missing photo can stop that clock before it even starts, since the application won't be processed without it.
Warning: Do not use a P.O. Box as your address on the CR-2152. The form does not allow it.
Warning: If you falsify information on the CR-2152, you cannot resubmit a visitor application for a minimum of six months.
Expect your CR-2152 to be screened. Visitor applications are subject to an NCIC background check, and TDOC requires applications to be updated every two years (24 months). If you're approved, treat that two-year update as part of staying eligible to visit.
TDOC's visitation approval guidelines allow all immediate family members who apply, plus up to eight additional adults, to be approved to visit an inmate upon receipt of the CR-2152 application. There's also a narrow exception for newly committed inmates: immediate family members may visit before the CR-2152 is approved while the Warden has their names added to the approved visitor list. That temporary allowance is limited to no more than 60 days from the inmate's intake date.
Follow the written return instructions that come with the CR-2152. TDOC policy describes returning the completed form (with a current photograph) to the Deputy Superintendent or Associate Warden in charge of visitation within 30 days. The CR-2152 itself also directs you to return the form to the warden of the inmate's institution. Use the form's instructions for the specific address and method for that facility.
Once the application is received, the timeline is straightforward: visitation applications (CR-2152) should be approved or denied within 30 days of receipt.
If 30 days have passed since the application was received and you still don't have an answer, reach out through the same channels the CR-2152 process points you to. The form comes with written instructions, and TDOC policy identifies the Deputy Superintendent or Associate Warden in charge of visitation as the office handling returned applications.
Quick Checklist
- ✓ A recent photograph is attached in the lower left-hand corner (no photo means it will not be processed)
- ✓ Your address is not a P.O. Box
- ✓ The information you provided is accurate (falsification triggers a minimum six-month wait to reapply)
- ✓ You followed the written return instructions provided with the CR-2152, including where to send it
One more thing after you submit: TDOC treats visitor applications as ongoing records. You're subject to an NCIC background check, and approved visitors must update the application every two years (24 months).
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