Okay, I promised my man a visit this week:eek: . But I'm sooo nervous. I mean I've never been to Rikers' Island before and I'm going on this visit
alone. I have no idea where to go. I haven't seen my Baby in about two months and I'm anxious. What should I wear? Can I wear jewelry? Does the bus take a long time? Can we kiss and hug?? :confused: :confused: Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks:D :D

mire punyeta call me... u got ma number i juss called u 10 mins ago. call me so we can go together. they just moved my man to obcc mamita... so ill go wit u for sure!

Okay, I promised my man a visit this week:eek: . But I'm sooo nervous. I mean I've never been to Rikers' Island before and I'm going on this visit
alone. I have no idea where to go. I haven't seen my Baby in about two months and I'm anxious. What should I wear? Can I wear jewelry? Does the bus take a long time? Can we kiss and hug?? :confused: :confused: Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks:D :D
hey,

there's no reason to be scared . it's nothing tramatic & you will be fine.:thumbsup:

to answer your questions....

1) when you first get there (to the main building) they will have sections for each building. just ask where is the waiting spot for your building and then you will go and sign in, show your ID again, and wait for the bus to take you to his building.

2) i believe you can wear whatever you want. i didn't see anybody have a problem w/ their clothes. they only let you wear one layer of clothing inside, so keep that in mind (you can put your stuff in a locker). if i were you, i'd keep my jewlery to a minimum because you have to take it off and leave it in a locker before you get on the visiting floor. so, you might as well leave it at home (unless you have somehere to go afterward).

3) No, the bus doesn't take very long. it runs..maybe every 20 mins? it won't take very long, just be patient.

4)yes you can kiss and hug. just stay in your seat. but you can greet him with a long kiss/hug & they don't care if you kiss during your visit.


my advice through the whole process is to just be patient. it can take a while for the whole process, depending on if you are leaving money & packages. don't get worked up. don't let people GET you worked up. and try hard not to get annoyed and impatient. if you stay patient & calm, it won't seem like it takes so long.

enjoy your visit. if you have anymore questions, feel free to PM me. :)

Thanks, everybody. I went for my visit and surprisingly it wasn't so bad. Thanks for all the advice. I really appreciate it!!!!!

There is a ginuine feeling of fear when you go over there. The C.O.'s treat you like a prisoner and the fact is to them you are one. The first step is the first metal detector which is like a chamber that you step into and until you have all the visible metal off you can't get passed. The second step is registration, where you register for the visit. You have to have the Book & Case number and name of the inmate, which I know you have and your state ID. The third step is to go to the actual facility on that raggity bus. You are then faced with a preliminary metal detector. Then the real fun begins. You give in the card you got on registration so they can go get your husband. But you have to first take off your sneakers and socks, then roll your waistband over, then shake your bra, then take down your hair and you know good and damn well when you do your hair that's the last thing you wanna do until you get home but you gotta do it. Then you get to go see him in his cute little jumper.

It's really not that bad. I thought it was going to be a lot worse then it is. It's just such an annoying process. Good luck!

I agree with Julianne... I thought it would be worse... It's not too bad. If you tell them it's your first time they are helpful usually.

My friend was at rikers for 6 months and I made 50 visits. (now she's at Bedford) The first visit is okay, the second is the worst because you KNOW what to expect, but after that, you learn how to "work it." You have to make it into a challenge or a game --- figure out what you can and can't bring with you. Put ALL your posessions in a single bag or a coat pocket, because you can't bring anything into a visit. Every pocket has to be empty. If you really want to make it work at Rikers (at least at RMSC - known as "Rosie"), get friendly with the CO's. In Rosie they are dolls --- even the ones who you think are tough are really smiling on the inside. They are people like us and when you show them respect and say hello on a regular basis, they open up to you. For example, there's Mama Coleman who started wearing a black wig, so I call her "sister coleman", and the woman who takes the clothing... always go to the window, even if you don't have anything to give in, and say hello. And I won't say who, but there is a CO who likes Pastrami. My girl's lawyer told me "don't forget the pickles."
I don't know what it is like on the men's side, but I have to assume you learn how to "work it" there too, because all the women visitors always came out with smiles -- even after a 5 hour ordeal for a 1 hour visit.
These visits are really important to prisoners so go as often as you can!