Who Can Visit an Inmate in Tennessee: Immediate Family and the Eight Additional Adults Rule
TDOC visitation follows a straightforward rule: immediate family can apply, and the inmate can also designate up to eight other adults for approval. It all comes down to the CR-2152 application and a few timing and list-limit rules.
Under TDOC policy, all immediate family members who apply can be approved to visit. The inmate can also have up to eight additional adults on their approved list. Approval is tied to the Visitor Application (CR-2152), so even if you're family or a close friend, you still need to be on file through that process before showing up to visit.
Getting the application starts with the facility. TDOC facilities are required to provide inmates with blank CR-2152 visitation forms and written instructions, so prospective visitors know exactly what to fill out and where to send it. If your loved one is having trouble getting the paperwork, this is the form they should ask for.
Address tip: The CR-2152 does not allow a P.O. Box as your address. Use a physical street address on the application.
How to Apply and Timing
- ✓ Complete the Visitation Application (CR-2152) and fill out all sections.
- ✓ Attach a current photograph.
- ✓ Return it to the Deputy Superintendent/Associate Warden in charge of visitation within 30 days.
- ✓ Do not list a P.O. Box as your address on the application.
Once the facility receives your application, TDOC policy says it should be approved or denied within 30 days. If you're still waiting and it hasn't been that long, you're within the normal window.
Approval isn't permanent. The CR-2152 has to be updated every two years (24 months), even if nothing has changed. If it's been a while since you last applied, plan ahead so an outdated application doesn't hold up a visit.
Warning: If you falsify information on the CR-2152, you cannot resubmit a visitor application for at least six months.
There's a narrow exception for immediate family when someone is newly committed. Normally, no visitor can be admitted until their application is approved. But for newly committed inmates, immediate family can visit before their applications are approved, for up to 60 days from the inmate's intake date. During that window, the Warden is supposed to add the inmate's immediate family members to the approved visitor list while the facility waits for the applications to be received and processed.
One common snag: being on more than one person's visitor list. Under TDOC's rule, a visitor can't be on more than one inmate's list unless they're immediate family. So if you're trying to visit two different people, that immediate-family relationship is what makes the difference.
Reminder: Outside the immediate-family grace period for newly committed inmates (up to 60 days from intake), you will not be admitted for visitation until your application is approved.
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