When and How to Book Visits at Huron Valley Women’s: The 48-Hour / 7-Day Window and the Oct. 25 Release-Time Change

At Huron Valley Women's (MDOC), visits must be booked at least 48 hours in advance, but no more than 7 days ahead. This creates a moving window. Try too early and the system blocks you. Wait too long and you're inside the 48-hour cutoff.

Coordinating around work, childcare, or a long drive? You can schedule up to two separate visits with the same prisoner on the same day. Some families grab two available openings rather than hoping a single perfect time appears within the 7-day window.

Pay attention to visiting block lengths. Weekday blocks run three hours; weekend blocks run two hours. Knowing this helps you plan your day, especially if you're stacking appointments or coordinating multiple visitors.

Starting Oct. 25, 2025, visit slots will be released at 8:00 a.m. instead of midnight. If you're used to checking late at night to catch newly opened times, that routine won't work anymore.

Slots may get picked up quickly once 8:00 a.m. hits. If your first choice is gone, don't assume the whole week is booked. Keep working within the 7-day window, try alternate days, and have a backup option that still clears the 48-hour cutoff.

All scheduling happens online. To book an in-person or video visit, register on the MDOC Visitation Scheduling website hosted by ViaPath (formerly GTL). Once you have an account, you'll use that same system to find openings and make appointments.

A common hang-up: approval status. You can't create or schedule a visit until your visiting application (step 4 in MDOC's process) has been approved. If the system won't let you book, check that your application is fully approved first.

• ✓ A maximum of five visitors may visit a prisoner at a time (children under two are not counted toward that number).
• ✓ Prisoners may be visited by immediate family members, qualified clergy, attorneys, outreach volunteers, and up to ten other people designated by the prisoner.

Video visits have a few extra rules. They're limited to 20 minutes and must be paid for in advance through ViaPath. On the day of your visit, log into the ViaPath visitor site 10 minutes early so staff can verify and approve you. Have a government-issued photo ID ready to show on camera before each video visit.

1. Mark the 7-day opening time: Set a reminder for 8:00 a.m. on the day the visit becomes eligible to schedule (starting Oct. 25, 2025, that is when new time slots are released).
2. Protect the 48-hour cutoff: Set a second reminder two days before your target date so you do not miss the minimum 48-hour scheduling requirement.

Consider booking a backup while you're inside the allowed scheduling window. Since you can schedule up to two separate visits with the same prisoner on the same day, some families choose two different time options and adjust plans around the one that works best. Keep the 7-day maximum and 48-hour minimum in mind as you make changes.

Before you travel, check whether the facility or housing unit is under medical quarantine. MDOC notes this can happen periodically. You're expected to verify the facility's visiting schedule and quarantine status before you arrive.