How to Schedule Your First Visit at Shafter: VPASS vs. Walk-In

Once you're approved to visit at Shafter, you have two options: schedule through VPASS up to a week ahead, or show up as a walk-in. Walk-ins are first-come, first-served, but VPASS appointments get processed first - so booking ahead can save you a lot of waiting.

VPASS is Shafter's online scheduling tool. If you're already approved, you can book an appointment up to one week in advance. Check your VPASS messages before you go. The system sends updates about schedule changes via email or on the VPASS home pages - so you won't get surprised on visit day.

Here's the key rule: VPASS appointments get processed before walk-ins. On a busy weekend, that priority can mean the difference between getting in quickly and waiting to see if space opens up.

Walk-ins aren't off the table - timing just matters. Without an appointment, you may be admitted after scheduled processing wraps up at 12:15. You might also get in during gaps between scheduled visitors.

VPASS or walk-in, it all starts with approval. You can only visit after your CDCR 106 Visiting Questionnaire form is approved. Without that approval, you won't be allowed onto facility grounds.

Arrival-and-dayof-tips

• ✓ Don’t arrive on Shafter institutional grounds more than 30 minutes before your scheduled VPASS appointment time.

On visit day, treat VPASS as your live update source. If anything changes, you'll get notified by email or on the VPASS home pages. Going as a walk-in? Plan for some uncertainty. You may get in after scheduled processing ends at 12:15, or during gaps between scheduled visitors. Waiting doesn't always mean "no" - it often just means "not yet."

1. Call visiting information to check what’s going on - Use Shafter’s visiting information phone number: 661-746-8900, Ext. 5139, to confirm your status or ask about openings.
2. Try the walk-in window if you don’t have an appointment - If you couldn’t get scheduled, you may be admitted after scheduled appointment processing concludes at 12:15, or in intermittent openings between scheduled visitors.
3. Make sure your CDCR 106 approval is in place - Walk-in visiting is only available upon approval of the CDCR 106 Visiting Questionnaire form, and it runs first-come, first-served.

If you're approved, you can always try again through VPASS - appointments open up to a week in advance. Not sure what went wrong or what to do next? Call 661-746-8900, Ext. 5139 before making another trip.