Cummins Unit

Visitation Hours: Either on Saturday or Sunday (depending on the first letter of the last name) from 11:30am-3:30pm.

Before actually getting into the visitation room, you have to wait in your car and get a number. They start giving out numbers and letting you into the actual parking lot around 10:30am. Then you have to wait in a line inside where you give them your identification, tell them who you are seeing, and go through a metal detector. You then go through a series of security gates before actually getting into the visitation room. If you want your loved one to actually come out to the visitation room at 11:30am, I strongly recommend getting to Cummins by at least 10:30am (some people get there even earlier).

Dress Code: Dress conservatively. NO shoulders showing. Make sure dresses/skirts below the knee. NO hats, sunglasses, or purses (allowed to bring in keys and coin purse).

Visitation Room: Visitation is held in a large gymnasium. You sit at a table and are allowed to sit by the inmate and hold hands (above the table) and show light affection (hugging and some kissing). The amount of affection you are allowed to have with the inmate largely depends on which guards are working that day.

There is a concession stand that offers pre-packaged sandwiches, nachos, cokes, sweets, etc. You can also get them an ice cream or sandwich package that will be delivered to them during the week, and you are also able to take a picture together for $2.50. There is a Jaycee "store" which has different items made by inmates (key chains, jewelry, clocks, etc.).

If you have children with you, crayons and coloring books are available at the photo stand, and there is usually a movie shown that is specifically for kids.

Thank you so much for your information on cummins unit, but I feel I have a little more information that may or maynot help someone else. This is information that I didnt' know about, and it was a stroke of luck that I found out about this information. I live in the state of Missouri and my husband is housed in the Cummins unit in Arkansas. If you call 24 hours in advance you can get special visits with your loved ones, if your out of state. I have heard that you have to live at least 350 miles away to get granted this, but I'm not sure on that. If you loved one is on the correct level to recieve 4 visits a month, you can schedule all 4 of them at once, or break them down and do two visits at a time, either with your regular visiting day or not. Just thought somebody else may benefit from this information. I have seen women come in there and cry because they have messed up there visits and they have drove for hours to see there loved one. It just breaks my heart to see anyone in that kind of pain, because I know how it feels, I have been there before. If I can help anyone in this please let me know!!!

Hi there! I went for my first visit with Dave at Cummins. It was not at all what I had expected! I expected to be treated badly, but I think that I was treated very, very nicely by all the people there! I got there about 10:15,and I was the 5th car in line to go in. At 10:33 they started letting us go inside. As we drove through, we stopped so that a CO could see our driver's license and get the car tag. She gave me a card that I was to take inside. After that, we parked in the parking lot right outside of the visiting center. I went inside and got in line to show my ID again to a very nice CO who also took my visitation form that Dave had sent me in the mail and asked very discreetly who I was there to see. From that lady, I went to the next table where I took a number and signed my name, address, phone number, and time that I had arrived. From there, I walked across the room to another very nice female CO who had me place all the items from my pockets into a wooden box. I removed my shoes and walked through a metal detector. The CO stamped my hand, and I followed the other visitors out the back door. From there we went through 3 gates. Before the gates will open, you must close the gate that you have gone through. Then, I walked through a prettily manicured courtyard into the visitation building. It is a gym that has several tables and chairs. The snack shack had several things including chili, nachos, ice cream pints, and popcorn. The snack shack cannot take $20's, but there are change machine located in the back of the room that will give you $1 coins. Also, there are several vending machines located at the back of the room that you can purchase candy, chips, sandwiches, desserts, drinks, and coffee. There are a few microwaves for heating the sandwiches. In addition to the food at the back of the room, there was a children's movie playing. I thought that was a nice touch to have entertainment for the kiddies. At the end of visitation, a CO flashed the lights as a signal that it was almost time to go. After I hugged and kissed Dave goodbye(following an extremely nice visit), I walked over to the door where a CO asked to see my hand. I had to put into a box...kinda like the one at Chuck E. Cheese.....and she saw that I had my hand stamped. Then, I walked out of the visitation room and through those 3 gates again back into the visitation center. I had to sign my name again, return my card that I had gotten when I got in there, and proceeded out the door to my vehicle. As I was leaving, I gave the card back to the CO who had greeted me upon my arrival. She checked the back of my SUV, and I was on my way back home.

Dave and I had a lovely visit. We sat at our table and talked and talked from 11:35 until 3:25. It was the most time that I had spent with him since I had to surrender him to the county jail. He looked good and said that he felt good. I was so relieved to hear that things were not nearly as bad as we had thought that they would be.

I would really like to thank you all for your information and your sweet comments. I only hope that I will be able to help someone the way that you have helped me.

Have a wonderful week!!

Cindy

Glad to hear you had a wonderful visit Cindy! Thanks for sharing all the great info. I have merged our threads together for easier access to information about Cummins visitation.

I visited a friend at Cummins this month. The visiting procedures were much the same as in earlier posts. My friend is not in general population yet, so the visit was a weekday visit, with only about 6 inmates being visited. I just drove straight into the parking lot outside the visitor center. There was no security check or screening of vehicles. The vehicle checkpoint was after the visitor parking lot, so that may be a change from the former system. The visitor screening was friendly and efficient, nothing unusual. Since it was a weekday visit, the snack bar concession was closed and no photographs were available. My friend told me that the system for ordering ice cream to be delivered to inmates after the visit had been discontinued.

Hi everybody. A woman has written us who has not been to see her husband for four years because she doesn't drive. She lives in Summit, AR which is close to Mountain Home. She says she can probably get a ride to meet someone if there is anyone out there that lives up around there and is willing to give her a ride. If possible please email me at carol.livingintruth@gmail.com or call 870-448-2272. Thankx!!