Visiting in Connecticut (DOC)

Getting on the visiting list

The inmate begins the process by requesting a visiting application for each person they want to add; the application (form CN 100601) is mailed to the prospective visitor, who completes it and returns it to any DOC facility. The DOC runs a criminal-history and warrant check on every applicant, and approval usually takes about two to three weeks. The number of approved visitors depends on the inmate’s security level — seven at the highest level (Level 5) and up to fifteen at lower levels; an inmate’s own children under 18, and attorneys and clergy, do not count toward the limit. Within the first 30 days after someone enters custody, the warden may allow a one-time courtesy visit by up to two immediate-family adults before the list is finalized.

A criminal record keeps a person off the routine list, but they may ask the facility’s Unit Administrator in writing for permission, which weighs the offense, how much time has passed, and the relationship. A visitor with an active warrant or pending case is not approved, and a victim of the inmate’s crime is barred unless approved (and any protective order has been expired at least two years).

Minors must be on the approved list and accompanied by an approved adult — an immediate or expanded family member, a legal guardian, or a DCF-authorized adult. If someone who is not the parent or guardian brings the child, they must carry a notarized permission letter from the parent or guardian.

What to wear

Connecticut does not publish a detailed list of banned clothing. The official rule is to dress with reasonable modesty — nothing revealing, seductive, or offensive, and nothing staff consider a safety or security risk. Two specifics do apply everywhere: no watches (for any visitor, including attorneys), and avoid metal in clothing and accessories (underwire, belts, jewelry, hair clips, body piercings, metal-toed shoes), because it can keep you from clearing the metal detector and lead to denied entry. Staff wear navy blue. Because there is no itemized statewide list, confirm anything you are unsure about with the facility before traveling.

What you can bring

Visitors bring essentially nothing into the visiting room. The only stated exception is for a visitor with an infant, who may bring one clear bottle, a small cloth, and a pacifier. Phones, electronics, food, purses, and coats are not allowed; nothing may be passed to the inmate; and lockers are provided at some facilities at your own risk. Money for the inmate goes to the Inmate Trust Fund, never through the visit.

Scheduling and visit days

Visiting days and hours are set by each facility and change often, so check the facility’s current schedule. Since 2024, in-person visits for general-population inmates at most facilities are first come, first served — you sign up on arrival rather than booking ahead. Visits for restrictive-status inmates (security-risk-group or protective custody), and all video visits, are scheduled through the DOC’s online Visit Request Form (visitingrequest.doc.ct.gov). Each facility offers at least one evening and weekend visit, an inmate normally gets two or three visits a week, the same visitor cannot visit twice in one day, and there are no visits on state holidays.

Contact, non-contact, and video visits

• Contact visits are available only at lower-security facilities (Levels 2–4), and no inmate is entitled to one — up to three visitors (including children), with a brief embrace and kiss allowed at the start and end.
• Non-contact visits happen through a glass partition or screen, with up to two visitors. They are required for many people — including those held on high bond ($500,000 or more), security-risk-group members, and people with escape or contraband history. At the pretrial jails, such as Hartford, all visits are non-contact. These visits may be recorded.
• Video visits are free, on Microsoft Teams, scheduled through the DOC request form; eligible inmates get at least one a week (30 minutes), with up to three adults. Video supplements in-person visiting and is recorded. See Phone & Video Calls.

Verify Before Acting

For the general, nationwide overview of this topic, see the national guide: Visiting Basics.