Visiting Room Cutoff Times at Ohio Reformatory: When You Need to Arrive to Make Your Session

Reception visiting runs in two sessions, but there's a catch: two different schedules are floating around. One lists the AM session as 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and the PM session as 12:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Another schedule - effective July 31, 2025 - shows morning visits from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and afternoon visits from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Don't assume the hours you used last time still apply. Before you travel, confirm which schedule is in effect for your visit type and date - especially if you're planning around the session end time.

Reception visiting may also be organized by the ending digits of your visitor ID number, which determines which days you're eligible to visit. Show up on the wrong day and you won't be allowed to process - even if you arrived on time.

Ohio Reformatory enforces hard cutoff times for reception visit processing. For the AM session, you must be processed prior to 9:15 a.m. For the PM session, you must be processed by 1:00 p.m. "Processed" means you've completed check-in by that time - not that you've pulled into the parking lot or joined the line.

• ✓ Aim to arrive early enough that you can be fully processed before the 9:15 a.m. AM cutoff (not just “on property” at 9:15).
• ✓ For the afternoon session, plan your arrival so you’re processed by 1:00 p.m., even if you expect a short line.
• ✓ Build in extra cushion for anything that slows check-in - parking, finding the correct entrance, ID checks, and security screening.
• ✓ If you’re close to the cutoff, don’t assume staff can “squeeze you in.” Once the processing deadline passes, you may lose the session.

The cutoff determines whether you get in - it doesn't extend the session or guarantee you the full visit window. If you're processed at 9:14 a.m., you're still visiting within whatever morning hours are in effect. Same for the afternoon: being processed by 1:00 p.m. gets you in, but the session still ends at its posted time. Here's where the two published schedules cause confusion. Whether the morning session runs 8:30–11:30 or 8:00–11:00 (or the afternoon ends at 3:15 p.m. versus 3:00 p.m.), the processing deadlines stay the same: prior to 9:15 a.m. for morning, by 1:00 p.m. for afternoon.

Reception visiting isn't held on weekends. Saturday and Sunday visits are by appointment only - don't plan on walking in and processing like you would during the regular weekday schedule.

Visitation is closed on state holidays, including New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and Juneteenth. If your travel date falls near a holiday weekend, call ahead - closures can wipe out what would otherwise be a normal visiting day.

1. Check in with staff immediately - If you arrive near or after the cutoff (9:15 a.m. for AM or 1:00 p.m. for PM), ask the front-entry staff what your options are for that day.
2. Ask what rescheduling looks like - If you can’t be processed by the deadline, find out what the next available session is under the current schedule.
3. Use appointment options when they apply - Since weekend visiting is by appointment only (and reception visiting isn’t normally held on weekends), ask about appointment-based visiting if that’s the day you’re trying to make work.