This is so vital to maintaining a good relationship with your loved one. This can often be a challenge because often times then not when your loved one is sentenced they are shipped so far away making it nearly impossible to get to. When my ex first got sentenced he was sent about 5 hours away and i was only able to see him once a year because i hated to drive the highway with my daughter. But I digress. Anyway my with current husband being just about an hour away and now that I’m ok with 95 i try to get there once a month maybe twice if I don’t have to work and boy what an experience that is.
One of the main things i have learned while visiting is NEVER wear anything remotely tight. I don’t know how many times I have seen women have to go back to their car to change or have to forfeit their visit because of what they were wearing. Its so freaking embarrassing because you get in and then you have to walk back out the door and walk past everyone’s looking eyes and not everyone is looking to feel bad for you, some are just glad you are out of the way lol… sad but true.
Also no short dresses like t-shirt dresses or anything like that , that may be seen as showing your shape or to much legs or arms .I have only had a problem with this when i went to get married. i had on a top that the arms were sheer lace and the guards made me go to put on a sweater because they said to much arm was showing. Mind you the shirt was a long sleeve lol.
I would also recommend that you wear easy shoes that you can slip off and on. Its a hassle to try to lace your sandals up when you have to take them off.
Ladies i know we love to get all dolled up and put on nice necklaces and ear rings or even that nice bra with the wire that will give your girls a lift(thats me lol)but i would caution that you either put on an undershirt between your bra and outer shirt and not really a lot of jewelry because that metal detector does not play sometimes.
If you are bringing your children please remember to bring birth certificates and that they are dressed appropriate. We may want to dress them up all cute for daddy. But please remember daddy is not the only man in there and some people in there may be there for sex crimes against kids. I know its not something that you want to go in thinking but its reality.
So now that, that is out the way you have went in to be patted down and you have finally entered the room where the actual visit takes place be prepared to claim your spot once you have given your paper to the guard that calls for loved ones. Some places get rather crowded and finding a place to sit is hard especially if you have 2 or more people with you because you have to sit opposite side of the table from your loved one only children can sit on the side with them.
Some facilities have inside and outside visitation parks. Where my husband is there is inside and outside and they usually dont open the outside part until about 10 or if it really gets crowded where there is standing room only. I usually do the first half in the inside and then the last half on the outside. And omg one thing that i hate but it happens so frequently is waiting on your loved one to come into the visiting hall.. I absolutely hate it. Sometimes I have to wait close to 30 minutes for him to get out there. During this time my i swear my perfume is wearing off I’m licking off my lip gloss my gum is losing flavor and I’m already nervous because i hate being in a prison setting. Its the absolute worst if you have little ones like me. I have a 2 year old that gets restless after a while and wants to cut up. So needless to say sometimes my husband is met with major attitude lol
One thing you may want to make sure is to carry change as part of the 50.00 you are allowed to bring because even though the canteen line is open that line can get really long so you may have to get vending before you get actual food. The food selections are OK. My hunny usually gets the spicy chicken sandwiches he has gotten me and our daughter kinda hooked on them
When in the canteen line make sure you get your picture ticket as soon as you can because those tickets go so quick because everyone wants a picture that they can take home and put on Facebook or the gram.
You can give your loved one a hug and kiss when they come out and then hold hands across the table. If you go outside then you can hold hands and walk the yard. But whether outside or inside please be aware that “Irish eyes are watching you” like my granny used to always say. Someone is always watching or listening so be careful you don’t want to create any problems and run the risk of losing your visitation for something stupid. Visitation is only from 9 am till 3pm. Use it as a time to love on one another and communicate. And try to leave on a positive note because its not only for your his sake but your as well
For a complete list of visitation Do’s and Dont’s just click the link . If you have any further questions please hit that contact button and leave me a message and I’ll get back to you at my earliest convenience.
You Are Not Alone 