Hi all,
Does anyone know if there is a policy regarding having visitors having to move to another table where another couple is already visiting if the room is overcrowded? Morgantown does this and goes by these rules for overcrowding: 1. Combining couples. 2. Length of the visit in progress. 3. Distance traveled TO the facility by visitor.

The officer in charge of visitation threatened to terminate a visit if my daughter and her guy didn't combine. Also, Education Dir. got in her guy's face about the question my daughter asked about "why" they always have to combine. Told him if she had a problem, she didn't need to come back.

Thanks!!

I cant say that I know about this policy - but here in NC you have to call ahead of time to make an "appt" for visitation so there are no problems such as this. Meaning once all the tables are full and you happen to call then you are told they are full you have to try again for the next visitation day. They have visits on Saturday and Sunday if you cant make it in on Saturday then you can TRY on Sunday and if you dont make it then you just dont make it that week. This prevents the overcrowding aspect. Which is good in some ways but bad in some ways if you ask me. You dont have the problems as you described and not forced to sit someone else. You might want to try and check out the VA state forum and see if someone there can be of more help to you. WELCOME TO PTO!!!

Kelly

Thanks, Kelly.

Morgantown is Federal, so I was really looking for some advice on that level. The NC policy is, at least, a plan.

It seems like Morgantown FCI is under the thumb of a guy with short man syndrome, if you know what I mean. Instead of running the camp LIKE a camp, he runs it like a major facility.

Thanks.

This is one of those issues where local rules seem to apply. And yeah, sometimes the COs are just being pains in the neck about it. Not all, but I've remarked any number of times around PTO that the variability between "jerk" CO and "saint" CO is really, really wide, and the difference seems most obvious in visitation.

At FSL Elkton, the rules provided for moving some inmates to double up at tables with others if things got too crowded, and if things got really out of hand, then visits were cut short based on distance travelled (for obvious reasons, those who came a long way are pretty deserving of longer visits) and frequency of visitation. Considering that my wife was generally there 3x/week and came from only 20mi away, she pretty much volunteered to leave early now and again when things were tight.

It would appear that the various facilities do have different rules. At my wife's facility they will not under any circumstances allow you to double up at the tables.... when they run out there are available chairs that you can line the walls with and even some standing area. The CO's have even expanded this rule to not allowing inmates to talk with one another at visitation. I think it would only make sense to allow folks to double up. At least every one would get to have a chair.

Keep the Faith

Michael :thumbsup: