:( Hi everybody! I'm starting to get really nervous. My husband got sentenced on 9/13 and now were just waiting for them to take him to "San Quentin". I have no idea what to expect. I know nothing about the place, the rules, how things work with visits, mail, etc. I finally got used to visiting him at "Santa Rita" and the rules there and now he's leaving. He got sentenced to 4 years @ 80% so he probley has about 2 and a half years to go. I've heard so many different things but what I'd really like is to hear it 1st hand from someone who regularly visits there.Would anybody out there mind giving me the low down? Maybey tell me some things I need to do ahead of time. I would really appreciate any help or advice. :)

I moved your post to the California forum on San Quentin as the folks here will be able to answer your questions.... Good luck!

Deb

Well for starters Welcome to the San Quentin Forum! :) First off when he is
sent to San Quentin he will be in reception, he could sit there up to 6 months
or longer depending on whether San Quentin has an extra bed avail, or he could get shipped to another prison that has a extra bed. He is not allowed
phone calls, and I suggest that you write to him asap and ask him to send
you a visiting form. You have to be approved to see him. Fill out everything
that the form says pertaining to you, sign and send back. It can take anywhere from 1 week or 10 weeks to be approved. Once approved, you should get a letter back from him stating this fact, in my case the prison sent
me notification that I had been approved. Look at some of the other threads
here in this forum on what to send as far as writing materials stamps..etc..
You may not where underwire bras, period, when going for a visit at this
prison, and for that matter, any prison here in CA. If you do, you will either
lose your visit for that day, or they will hand you a pair of scirrors and you will
have to cut the wires out. You have to go through a metal detector twice
when you go to visit at San Quentin. Visits at San Quentin are appointment
only. Reception visits are for one hour per visit, and no contact. Behind the
glass on wall phones. I believe you can visit one day durning the week and one weekend visit per weekend. You must call ahead of time to visit. No
exceptions. If you are not on their log, you don't get to visit. I hope that some of this info is helpful to you, there are alot of members that do have loved ones at the Q, I suggest also that you read the other threads here too.
Good Luck! Suzi :D

Welcome to PTO! You will find a lot of useful information here, most of your questions can be answered by just looking around. If you can't find the answer, of course there will be someone to help you! Mail at San Quentin is extremely slow. I wrote my boyfriend for about two weeks before he got the first letter. However, when they send a letter to you, it will be there in just a few days. I would do as Eric's Homegirl suggested and get that visiting form ASAP. As far as visiting goes, it is pretty standard. My boyfriend was in San Quentin for over four months and was in reception the whole time, so I never got a contact visit. Set up appointments the week before your visit, make sure you are on time, and that you have good directions.(It sucks getting lost!) Good luck to you. Hope the info is helpful! :dance:

anything you need to know about visiting days, hours and dress code you can call the visiting hotline at 1-800-374-8474 and follow the prompts. ill tell you right now....no underwire bras, no blue jeans...stay away from blue clothing and forest green clothing period! if your guy is just getting to SQ im certain that hes in the reception center so you'll need an appointment to visit. you will need to fill out a visitor form before you can visit period, which he will need to send to you and then you mail it back to the prison for approval. this process can take like 3-6 weeks at san quentin. on good timing the mail takes atleast a lil over a week after you mail it to get to the inmate.....

im not sure what info youre seeking, but i am very familiar with san quentin and their rules, so if you need any help or info please pm me......

:( Hi everybody! I'm starting to get really nervous. My husband got sentenced on 9/13 and now were just waiting for them to take him to "San Quentin". I have no idea what to expect. I know nothing about the place, the rules, how things work with visits, mail, etc. I finally got used to visiting him at "Santa Rita" and the rules there and now he's leaving. He got sentenced to 4 years @ 80% so he probley has about 2 and a half years to go. I've heard so many different things but what I'd really like is to hear it 1st hand from someone who regularly visits there.Would anybody out there mind giving me the low down? Maybey tell me some things I need to do ahead of time. I would really appreciate any help or advice. :)

Hi Jammel and others. I think the ladies here on the site can give you the info re visiting and mail. Having been imprisoned there I would be glad to give you any inside information. Just post the questions. Incidetally, you can only stay in Reception for 90 days; this regualtion is rarely broken unless there is a medical or immigaration problem with the inmate. And in fact, if it is broken the inmate can file a form to get his extra REception Center time credit to his half time (Reception Center time is counted at two thirds only).