What Happens If the Visiting Room Gets Too Crowded at Wende

When the visiting room at Wende fills up, staff first ask for volunteers willing to end their visits early. It's the least disruptive option - and it gives families a chance to decide for themselves before staff start ending visits based on rules and timing.

If no one volunteers and the room stays packed, staff move to ending "local" visits - those from visitors who live within 100 miles of the facility. Local visits can be cut after three hours, handled first-in, first-out. The visits that started earliest get ended first to make room. Your arrival time matters if the room stays crowded.

Still crowded after that? Wende can also end visits from people who traveled over 100 miles. Same rules apply: termination after three hours, earliest visits first. Frustrating if you drove a long way, but knowing the three-hour mark and the "earliest visits end first" approach helps you plan and set realistic expectations on busy days.

Some visits get a closer look before termination. Visits with special permission and visits for incarcerated people who haven't had a visitor in six months receive special consideration. The Superintendent or Officer of the Day reviews these cases before any termination decision.

S5

• ✓ Ask staff when you arrive whether the visiting room is near capacity and whether terminations are happening.
• ✓ If you’re within 100 miles, plan with the three-hour cutoff in mind if the room is crowded, since local visits are the first group affected after volunteers.
• ✓ If you traveled over 100 miles, know that your visit can still be ended after three hours if overcrowding continues, and it will be handled first-in, first-out.
• ✓ If your visit involves special permission, mention that early so it’s clear your visit may fall under special consideration.
• ✓ If your loved one hasn’t had a visit in six months, bring that up at check-in so staff can flag it for the Superintendent or Officer of the Day before any termination decisions.

Before you travel, check the visitation details on Wende's official facility page - the information there is listed as effective 01/01/2026. The page also links to the DOCCS Visitors Page for additional guidance, including any updates that might affect how overcrowding is handled on a given day.