Understanding the 18-Visitor Limit and Open Enrollment at Sampson Correctional Institution

In North Carolina prisons, each person in custody can have a maximum of 18 approved visitors total. This includes both adults and minors. Once that list is full, it stays full until the next open enrollment period.

The 18-person limit matters for more than in-person visits. Video visits are also restricted to people on the approved list, so if you're not on it, you can't use video visitation either.

Open enrollment happens every six months, based on the person's admission date to prison. If someone's admission date is in January, for example, their open enrollment periods fall in July and January each year.

During open enrollment, the person in custody can add or remove people from their approved visitation list. Already at 18 visitors and want to add someone new? They'll need to remove a current visitor first.

In-person visits require an appointment. Call or email the prison to schedule a time before you go.

• ✓ Call the prison the day before your scheduled visit to confirm the facility’s visitation status.

Practical Strategies

• ✓ Keep the list focused on the people who are most likely to visit regularly, since the cap is 18 total (adults and minors).
• ✓ If your family is large, consider rotating who is on the list from one open enrollment period to the next so different relatives can take turns visiting.
• ✓ Plan ahead for open enrollment. If the list is already at 18, adding someone later means removing someone first, and that swap can only happen during the open enrollment window.

1. Check where you are in the open enrollment cycle , changes to the approved list happen every six months based on the offender’s admission date.
2. Review the current approved visitors , if the list is at 18, decide who would come off the list before trying to add anyone new.
3. Coordinate who will actually visit , talk within the family so the limited slots go to people who can follow through.
4. Schedule the in-person visit , call or email the prison to set an appointment.
5. Confirm the visit the day before , call the prison to make sure visitation is still on and the facility status has not changed.

Video visits can help when travel is difficult, but the same approval rule applies. Only people on the approved list can use video visitation, so it's worth considering video access when deciding who gets one of those 18 slots.