What to Know Before Your First Visit to SBWCC Unit 1 (Application, Timeline, and What You Can Bring)
Your first visit to SBWCC goes smoother when you handle the paperwork early and know what's allowed inside. Here's what to do before you make plans.
Before planning a trip to SBWCC, read the Visiting Rules for Residents and Visitors and complete the visiting application. Both documents are available through the Visiting Application page - they cover what you can do and bring once you arrive. First-time visitors should treat those rules as a checklist. Skip a step, and you might get turned away at the door.
Every potential visitor must pass a background check before getting approved. That check starts when you submit your visiting application. Don't have the forms yet? The resident can get the application forms and mail them to you - helpful if you want to make sure everything's filled out correctly. The key: submit the application so the background check can run. Approval comes from completing that process, not from showing up in person.
Give yourself time. The background check and application process normally takes two to four weeks. Visiting room staff notify the resident when it's complete - your loved one will hear back first. Build in that buffer before booking travel or taking time off work.
Visiting at SBWCC takes place in Unit 1. That's where you'll report when you arrive.
Prohibited Items Searches
- ✓ Do not bring outside food of any kind, including gum and candy (any exceptions would be listed in the Visiting Rules).
- ✓ Do not bring pictures of any kind, including images on keychain-sized electronic picture viewers.
- ✓ Do not bring paper money into the visiting room.
- ✓ If you plan to use vending machines, bring coins in clear plastic bags or a debit/credit card (if applicable) instead of cash bills.
Note: Staff may search any visitor or any item entering the visiting area to enforce Idaho Code 18-2510. Expect screening at check-in and keep what you bring to a minimum.
Read the Visiting Rules first, then submit your application early. Since approval normally takes two to four weeks, treat "application submitted" as the starting line. Don't plan around a specific weekend until the process is complete and your loved one has been notified.
On visit day, bring the ID the Visiting Rules require and follow staff instructions as you enter the visiting area. Staff may search any visitor or item coming in, so leave unnecessary personal belongings at home or locked in your car. Keeps check-in simple - and you won't risk bringing something that isn't allowed.
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