What You Need to Know About the Six-Visitor List Rule at Prince William–Manassas ADC

At Prince William–Manassas Adult Detention Center, the person in custody builds an approved visitor list before anyone can visit. That list holds up to six people (the exact number depends on the inmate's privilege level), and you can't swap names in and out week to week. Here's the catch: the visitor list can only be changed every four months. If you want to get set up for video visits quickly, think ahead. Make sure the right people get on the list early - anyone who isn't on it won't be able to visit.

After the inmate adds you to their visitor list, you still have to register through the facility’s video-visitation vendor site before you can schedule anything. Registration is where you create your visitor account and select the inmate you want to visit.

Registration alone doesn't mean you're approved. Detention Center staff approve or deny visitor requests based on the list the inmate submitted. The inmate's list is the gatekeeper - if your name isn't on it, your request won't go through.

1. Get added to the inmate’s visitor list - you have to be on the list before you can conduct visitation.
2. Register on the video-visitation vendor site - set up your account and select the inmate you want to visit.
3. Wait for approval before scheduling - staff approve/deny based on the inmate’s submitted list, and only approved visitors can schedule visits.

Practical Tips

• ✓ Prioritize the people who are most likely to visit consistently (often immediate family), since the list is capped at up to six visitors depending on privilege level.
• ✓ Use the six slots strategically - pick a small, reliable group instead of trying to cover everyone.
• ✓ Coordinate as a family so you’re not “wasting” a slot on someone who won’t actually schedule visits.
• ✓ Plan for the long haul: the list can only be changed every four months, so last-minute switches usually aren’t possible.

Set expectations around how often visits can happen. Inmates get one non-contact (video) visit per week, so even with six approved visitors, only one visit may be available in a given week. When space opens up, a second non-contact visit can be purchased - helpful if you're trying to share time between parents, a partner, and kids. Visit length depends on custody level. Maximum custody visits run 20 minutes, medium/minimum custody visits are 30 minutes, and inside/outside workers can receive 60-minute visits. If your loved one's visits are shorter, consider putting the most consistent visitors on the list - people who can reliably show up and make that limited time count.

Sometimes the six-name list and four-month change window don't fit real life - especially with court-ordered visitation issues or when you need a temporary adjustment. Prince William County's Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court has forms labeled