How to Get Approved as a Visitor at Rhode Island DOC (Add Someone to an Inmate's Visiting List)

RIDOC treats immediate family visitors differently from non-family, especially when criminal records are involved. If you're immediate family with a felony record, you can only visit with approval from the Assistant Director of Institutions and Operations (ADIO) or their designee. For non-immediate family, the rules are stricter. RIDOC's public visitation guidance says you cannot visit if you have a felony record, pending charges, a misdemeanor drug-related record, pled nolo contendere, or are on probation. If any of these apply to you, don't assume you'll be allowed in just because you're trying to do the right thing. Confirm what applies to your situation before making the trip.

RIDOC runs two background checks on every visitor: a Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) check and a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) check. If you haven't cleared both, you won't be permitted to visit unless the ADIO or designee specifically approves you.

If you have pending criminal charges and you're allowed to visit, RIDOC limits you to once per month. There's also a narrow exception for co-defendants: visits may be allowed with the inmates' attorney present, at a time arranged by the attorney with the Warden or designee. That said, RIDOC's public visitation guidance says non-immediate family members with pending charges cannot visit at all. If you're non-immediate family dealing with pending charges, expect this to block your approval.

A felony conviction doesn't automatically mean you can't visit, but it changes what approval looks like. Both immediate and non-immediate family members with felony records need ADIO (or designee) approval. If you're approved despite a felony conviction, visits are limited to once per month until you've shown three consecutive years of being law-abiding. RIDOC recognizes two ways to demonstrate this: your latest felony conviction is more than three years old (if you weren't incarcerated for it), or you were released from incarceration at least three years ago.

When RIDOC rules mention visits "with approval," the ADIO (or designee) is the gatekeeper. This applies in several common situations: when a visitor hasn't cleared the required BCI and NCIC background checks, or when a visitor (immediate or non-immediate family) has a felony record. Don't plan travel or show up hoping things will get sorted out at the front desk. If your situation requires approval, assume you're not approved until that approval is confirmed.

Documentation ID

• ✓ Valid driver’s license (photo ID)
• ✓ Valid military ID
• ✓ Passport
• ✓ Valid ID issued by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, Department of Elderly Affairs, or Department of Administration (Division of Motor Vehicles)
• ✓ Social Security cards are not accepted as proper ID
• ✓ Welfare IDs are not accepted as proper ID
• ✓ Birth certificate (only acceptable for visitors under 18)

To deposit funds into an inmate's account, you generally need to be on their visiting list. RIDOC does provide a 30-day grace period after someone is booked, giving the inmate time to add people. During that window, anyone can deposit funds.