Why You Can Only Visit Once a Month: Understanding Salem County Jail's Personal Visit Limits

Salem County Jail allows inmates one personal visit per month. Miss your window or can't get scheduled? You'll have to wait until next month for another chance to visit in person.

Discipline issues can change eligibility fast. If an inmate is found guilty of a Class I or Class II infraction within 30 days of their scheduled visit, they lose that month's visit. A visit you've planned for weeks can get canceled at the last minute - have a backup plan for staying in touch.

Pre-hearing detention can also block a visit. If the inmate is on pre-hearing detention when scheduling happens, they're ineligible. You might call during the scheduling window only to find out you can't book anything for that cycle.

There's also a waiting period for newer incarcerations. Inmates who've been in for less than 90 days aren't eligible for personal visits. If your loved one was recently booked, you'll need to rely on phone, mail, and other options until they hit that 90-day mark.

Personal visits are scheduled by phone, and the window is narrow. You must call on the Wednesday night before the inmate's unit weekend, between 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Call outside those hours or try to schedule early, and you'll waste time you can't afford when you only get one visit a month.

Appointments fill on a first-come, first-served basis - the jail books visits in the order calls come in. They won't let you schedule days or weeks ahead. With only five slots per 40-minute session, that Wednesday night call is competitive.

Strategic Tips

• ✓ Pick your “visit month” early, since you only get one personal visit per month.
• ✓ Decide who’s going this month and who rotates in next month, based on the allowed visitor combinations (one or two adults; or two adults and one child under 18; or one adult and two children under 18).
• ✓ Treat Wednesday night as your scheduling deadline: be ready to call during the 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. window.
• ✓ Don’t try to schedule days or weeks ahead - appointments are taken in the order calls come in.
• ✓ Remember that only five inmates are scheduled per 40-minute session, so calling promptly can make the difference between getting a slot and missing the month.

When visits are spaced out - or you lose a month due to eligibility - helping your loved one stay connected in other ways eases the pressure. Salem County Jail gives each inmate one personal account that covers commissary, phone, and tablet services from a single balance. To add money, you have several options: mail a money order with the inmate's name, use the kiosk in the facility lobby (cash and credit cards accepted), call Access Corrections at 636-888-7004, or set up an online account through Access Corrections' website. That support helps your loved one make calls and use services while you wait for the next visit window.