Scheduling in-person and video visits, approvals, and visitor limits
- Get the visitor application from your loved one. NCDAC says offenders must obtain blank application forms from the facility and mail them to prospective visitors.
- Submit the completed application and wait for approval. A completed application must be approved by facility staff before a visit can occur.
- Schedule your visit as an appointment. NCDAC says visits are by appointment only, and you should call or email the prison where the person is housed to schedule.
- Confirm the day before. Visitors should call the prison the day before a scheduled visit to confirm the facility’s visitation status.
Visits in NCDAC facilities can be in person or via video. Video visits are limited to people on the incarcerated person's approved visitors list, and the visit happens from a tablet or kiosk inside the facility. Even once you're approved, the facility controls whether visits are allowed and how they run. Polk Youth Institution, for example, describes visits as permitted for people on the approved list as allowed by prison managers, conducted with no physical contact.
There are also limits on how many people can be on the approved list. NCDAC allows a maximum of 18 visitor applications per offender, and the offender may have up to 18 approved visitors.
Common Questions
Q
Can I do a video visit with my loved one from home?
Yes, remote video visits are available through an approved video visiting app or from a personal computer, while your loved one connects from a tablet or a kiosk at the facility. NCDAC notes video visits can be on-demand or scheduled, and they are limited to people on the incarcerated person’s approved visitors list.
Q
Who can put money into an inmate's trust/commissary account?
In NCDAC prisons, depositors into trust fund accounts are restricted to people listed as approved visitors for that offender. NCDAC describes multiple ways to send money through its ViaPath partnership, and for money orders the payee is TouchPay.
Q
How many visitors can an offender have on their approved list?
NCDAC states a maximum of 18 visitor applications are allowed per offender (and the offender may have up to 18 approved visitors). Even if you’re on the approved list, visits are still allowed at the discretion of prison managers at the facility.
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